Long Nights
by gocubsgo17
Summary: AU: Brennan and Booth are in their first year of college at Northwestern University. He is the popular quarterback and she is just another nameless student. So how do they meet? And what happens when the two unlikely fall in love?
1. A slightly drunken encounter

**Back story: Booth and Brennan are both undergraduates at Northwestern University. Booth is a popular, starting quarterback on the football team and Brennan is a hardworking student. Both are first year students but Brennan has enough credits coming in from high school to be a considered a sophomore.**

Temperance Brennan was sitting at her desk in her dorm room, very early on a Wednesday morning. It was late and she was typing a paper for her linguistic anthropology class. It wasn't due for another two weeks but she was almost done with it and she was done with all of her other upcoming deadlines. Looking at the clock, she realized it was almost three in the morning and her roommate would be coming back soon.

Northwestern was known for the partying but Brennan just didn't understand the appeal to drinking excessively, killing brain cells and having less than adequate grades. Her roommate, Maggie, went out on school nights and weekends. To Maggie, there wasn't a bad night to go out. Brennan had been pressured by her roommate to go out on numerous occasions. Brennan refused every time, much to Maggie's dismay. She wanted Brennan to loosen up. Maggie hardly knew anything about Temperance but she wanted a new friend out her yearlong situation the university had assigned to them. Temperance seemed nice enough to Maggie but she wanted her roomie to open up and be friendlier.

Brennan liked Maggie and considered her a decent friend, something she hadn't had, besides Mr. Buxley, since elementary school. The only thing she didn't like about Maggie was the part of Maggie that came home drunk and insanely loud on school nights when Brennan had to get up early for class the next morning.

Even worse were the nights that when Maggie brought back a guy to their room. Brennan was not a prude by any standards. Though she had never had a boyfriend, it didn't mean she wasn't attracted to the rare man with perfectly symmetrical features.

But that night was the night that unpredictably changed Brennan's life.

Brennan, still sitting at her desk, heard the key turn in the lock. Holding her breath, she waited to see if Maggie came in with another guy that was probably just as drunk as she was. She heard giggling from two different voices and one was definitely lower in the register than Maggie's. Brennan began to gather her things to work out in the hallway.

The door opened and the drunken, sloppy couple practically fell into the room. As her roommate and the flavor of the night clumsily climb up into Maggie's lofted bed, Brennan shuffled out the door and sat in the hall, right next to her door. She could hear giggling and some other sounds she'd rather not think about until she heard Maggie's 'friend' start speaking.

"No, this isn't right. We're just going to regret this in the morning. And I'd rather not take the Walk of Shame," he laughed lightly.

Maggie moaned with defeat and frustration and told the boy, well, man, to get out.

She could hear some shuffling and the man redressing. As he ran out of the room, he tripped over Brennan's legs and fell flat on his face.

"Umph," he grunted, as he hit the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Brennan quickly apologized.

"Eh, don't worry about it. My fault. What are you working on?"

"My linguistic anthropology paper," Brennan said with a shrug.

"How much do you know about anthropology?"

Brennan studied the man. He had perfectly symmetrical features, just like she liked. Realizing he wasn't as drunk as she had assumed, she answered, "A lot, actually. I'm majoring in anthropology."

"I need a tutor. Bad. I know we just met; I don't even know your name, but do you think you would be willing to tutor me? I need to keep my grades up to stay on the team. The team _needs _me. I'm their leader, you know?"

She looked him over once or twice. He seemed nice. And he was kind. But she wasn't sure how serious he was about being tutored. Brennan couldn't bother to have her time wasted by some kid who was just going to slack off, tutor or not.

"You'll be paid," he told her, hoping that would seal the deal. Brennan took this into consideration. She needed the money. Her academics were being paid for by the college for her outstanding grades, but without a family to support her, the cost of books, groceries and other things Brennan needed were a burden on her.

"Fine. Give me your name and number and we can set up a time and place."

He laughed, "Don't you know who I am?"

"Should I?" she asked, straight faced.

The man was dumbfounded. Who didn't know who he was? Everyone on campus knows who Seeley Booth is. All-star freshman quarterback, already being scouted by the major league football teams.

"Seeley Booth. Call me Booth. Don't you go to football games?"

"I don't understand the idea of men tackling each other to get a ball."

Booth laughed awkwardly. "So you never told me your name." He looked up at her dorm door and the name tags on it.

"Well, I already know you're not Maggie. So you're Temperance?" he questioned.

Brennan nodded. Booth had some sort of inquisitive look on his face, like he was thinking too long and too hard about something.

Booth looked at her. "Temperance is too long of a name. You need a nickname," he suggested.

"Well, most people call me Tempe," she told him.

"Nah," he waved her off, "what's your last name?"

"Brennan," she answered.

"Bren. You're Bren. Okay, Bren, give me your number and I'll hit you up later. I'm free most afternoons except for late Monday practices. When do you wanna tutor me?" he said with a grin.

"Friday nights. 8 PM at the Main Library?" Brennan took out her planner, ready to add their appointment to her schedule.

"Friday nights?! Really?!" Booth yelled, "But that's my night to go out! Well, most of the time, but if we have away games we usually leave Friday mornings."

Brennan looked at him skeptically. "Alright, how about Wednesday afternoons at 3 in the Main Library?"

"I can make that work," he said. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow."

**A/N: Hey guys, this is my first story. I'm just kind of testing the waters with this story and letting it lead me where it will. I'm not sure if I want to continue. Let me know if any of you are interested in more chapters. I have finals and a Forensic Anthropology presentation/paper coming up so life might be hectic for me for a bit so I'll write when I can if you guys like it. And please let me know if you think anything needs tweaking or if its out of character or something. Thanks!**


	2. A study session in the park

**Disclaimer: I forgot to do this at the beginning of the first chapter. I do NOT own Bones, no matter how much I want to.**

Booth was waiting at the library. He had been twenty minutes early. Booth was still slightly hung over from last night but could remember everything about Bren. She was gorgeous. Long, brown hair and the most tender blue eyes he had ever seen.

Seeley Booth prided himself on being a gentleman. He didn't consider himself an 'ass man' or a 'breast man'. He loved eyes. It was his way of getting to know someone. Pops had taught him from a very young age that eyes are the windows to the soul. And Seeley Booth knew that he could see deeper into eyes than anyone else could.

Booth could see Brennan coming down the walkway. They had both agreed before they parted ways last night to meet outside the North entrance and find a quiet study space from there. It was a warm fall day. Hardly breezy or chilly. _Perfect football weather_, the quarterback thought. On a day like today, he'd normally be playing catch or a pickup game of football behind his residence hall. But he valued his education and his football career and the coach required a 3.7 GPA to stay in good standing on the team. His GPA was border line being way too low to play. The Wildcats were undefeated so far and Booth had every intention of taking his team all the way to the national championship game. His team needed him.

"Hiya, Bren!" Booth shouted as she approached. She smiled back at him and gestured to the building.

"Shall we?"

He rocked back and forth on his heels, hesitated and then said, "You know, I have a great idea. It's wonderful outside and before you know it, we'll be walking to class in three feet of snow and there will be zero visibility on the field."

"What does visibility have to do with class?" Brennan was confused.

"For football. You know, like, when I go to throw the ball at my wide receiver, if it's snowing, I probably won't be able to see…you know what, let's just study," he said, cutting himself off after noticing her extremely confused look.

Brennan began walking toward the entrance when Booth stopped her.

"Whoa! Bren! Can we, uh, study outside? It's nice and I brought a blanket for us to sit on. Oh, and I brought snacks too!" He stared at her eyes. They seemed to study him, look him over and when she noticed his begging puppy-dog eyes, she laughed.

Brennan grinned at him. "Sure. But you have to focus. If you lie down, you'll fall asleep. Just promise me you'll sit up when we study. No slacking!"

"You got yourself a deal, Bren!" Booth said excitedly. There was a small park right across from the library. It was shaded and not too crowded, but it was a common travel path for students between classes.

Neither Brennan nor Booth have any classes Wednesday afternoons so they sat and studied, Booth trying as hard as he could to not seem incompetent. Brennan, on the other hand, was patient with him. She knew not everyone was as intelligent as she was but Brennan knew Booth was trying to impress her with what little he knew.

"Booth!" someone shouted. He whipped his head around to see four guys coming down the sidewalk, cutting through the park.

"Hey! Adam, Brandon, A.J. and Tyler, this is Bren, she's my anthropology tutor. Bren, these guys are on the team too." He said, introducing them. Brennan waited impatiently for Booth to stop talking, but she didn't want to be rude so she didn't interrupt.

As they walked away, Brennan commented, "You do know that if you don't pay attention to what I'm trying to teach you, you're not going to learn it."

"Sorry, Bren. Those guys are my best friends though. I'm sorry. Look, I'll pay attention now, I promise," he told her. His warm smile melted her. _Perfect teeth, too_, she thought. _He really is symmetrical. _

By the time he had almost mastered three of the six chapters covered on the upcoming test, they had eaten all of Booth's snacks and the sun had started to set.

"Wow, I didn't even realize what time it is," Booth said, checking his watch, "You going out tonight?"

Brennan shook her head. "Why should I? It's completely irrational to go drink, especially when you're underage. Not only could you be arrested, but you're killing _multiple _brain cells!"

Booth shrugged. "Well, instead of going to the bars tonight, wanna go get some grub? I'm starving. And I could use a break from all of this studying."

Brennan smiled and Booth smiled back. They got up, packed up their books and headed for the downtown restaurants.

Booth led them to a little diner just off campus. It was affordable but still delicious. He ordered for both of them.

"Hey! I wanted a salad!" Brennan yelled at him after the waitress walked away.

"Trust me, this stuff is to die for. I bring girls here all the time," he said, nonchalantly.

"This isn't a date, Booth. We're just eating dinner," Brennan told him, matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Well. Uh…yeah I know, but I'm just telling you this place is good. If you know what to order," he said. He leaned back in his chair and stared at her. She was looking around, taking in her surroundings. It seemed as if she were observing the other customers too, using her anthropology knowledge to apply ideas to this situation.

Brennan suddenly could feel his eyes on her. She turned to look at him and he just smiled. Brennan grinned back and asked him to explain football. Booth lit up and told her about why he had come so far to live his dream.

It turned out Booth was from Philadelphia and his grandpa and brother can't always make it out for the games.

"They're coming for family weekend next weekend. But not this weekend. Hey, I get four free tickets to every game to give to my family. No one's going to use them this weekend and they're just going to go to waste. You should come to the game. Bring your roommate if you want!"

"I'll think about it," Brennan replied. She was hesitant. She didn't want to look like a fool in front of every other fan who knew a lot about football. But, then again, it would be an excellent opportunity to observe a kind of culture Brennan had never witnessed before. She agreed and told Booth she'd accept the tickets.

He was thrilled. The tickets were right behind the home team bench. Booth could look up to the stands any time during the game and know she would be encouraging him.

They were fast becoming friends and they sat in the restaurant until late in the morning, Booth eating slice after slice of apple pie. Brennan sat there watching him. She didn't like pie. She didn't see the point of adding so much sugar to something that already had natural sugars in it.

He talked about football while she talked about her research studies.

Booth didn't mind that, across the street at his favorite bar, Adam, A.J., Brandon and Tyler could see him in the window talking to the same beautiful girl they saw him with earlier. He didn't mind that he was missing out on free cover night at the team's favorite bar. Booth was with his new best friend. And so was she.

Brennan had found what she was looking for at college, besides a higher, quality education. She found a friend that she knew would be there for her. She felt like she could talk to Booth all night long.

They stayed at the 24-hour diner until four in the morning, when Brennan realized she had a 7 AM class soon. Feeling embarrassed that she had lost track of time, Booth walked her back to her dorm room and made sure she was okay before he went across the street to his residence hall.

As Brennan climbed into bed, she felt a huge grin spread across her face.

Booth did the same.

**A/N: Wow, I've been just floored by the response I've been getting from this. I hope you all like this chapter just as much. I don't think I mentioned this before but if you're wondering where I got the idea, I had a dream one night after the 100****th**** episode and this is pretty much what happened. Any dream with Booth is a good dream :) Anyway, let me know what you think! I have more on the way.**


	3. A different kind of culture

Brennan couldn't fall asleep. The only window in her little dorm room was wide open and the moonlight was pouring in. She couldn't believe she had made a new friend. Someone she knew she could say anything to and he wouldn't judge her.

Knowing she wouldn't even get a decent nap before her 7 AM class, Brennan got up and got ready for the day. She packed her backpack and headed out the door with an hour and a half left before class started. She just started walking, not knowing exactly where her feet were taking her.

Brennan thought about the night before and how much fun she had. She had never stayed up so late talking to a guy, let alone just a friend. They talked about his family and she avoided that subject. She talked about her studies and the cool new ice age warrior her professors were letting her help identify. Booth never questioned her on her family and for that, she was thankful. As much as she liked Booth, she wasn't yet comfortable discussing her troubled past. Booth never did say why he had been raised by his grandfather, but since he hadn't pushed Brennan for her past, she didn't push either. She guessed he was from a broken family too. At least now she didn't feel so alone.

She ended up sitting in the park where they had studied the day before. For Chicago this time of year, it was unusually warm. At almost six o'clock in the morning, Brennan was comfortably warm in her jeans and sweatshirt, knowing it would get warmer as the sun came up. As she sat on a bench near the same study spot from yesterday, Brennan couldn't get her mind off of Booth. Not only was he quickly becoming her best friend, she knew he would be her closest friend for the rest of her life.

There was no way the star quarterback was going to fall asleep that night. He sat on his futon in his dorm room in the dark. His roommate, Drew, wasn't there and Booth knew Drew had probably spent the night with some chick he met at the bars. There was no reason for Booth to not turn on the TV and watch the late edition of _Sportscenter_ but he also knew he wouldn't actually watch it.

Bren. He wanted to hang out with her again. She was the kindest tutor he had ever had and that was saying something, since he had gone to tutors at an early age at Pops' insistence. Bren had a way of dumbing down the anthropology concepts without making Booth feel completely stupid. She was patient with him when he didn't understand something and explained things in a way he could understand. At one point, she had even attempted to relate something to football. Booth chuckled. Bren didn't understand the first thing about football and it was cute to see her try so hard to make his studies appealing to him.

When Booth tried to explain it to her at the diner, it took her awhile to catch on, but now, when she goes to the football game on Saturday, she'll at least understand what the idea and the point of it is.

Booth was excited for Saturday. He wanted to show Bren what he could do on the field. She seemed genuinely excited for the game and was glad he gave her several tickets so she could have her roommate go with her. Bren wanted someone else there at the game with her to explain things she wouldn't understand as the game was going on.

Booth got ready for class early. He didn't have class until 8 but he decided to just take a walk and study what Bren had taught him yesterday to keep everything fresh in his mind. He headed for the park by the Main Library. There were benches he could sit on without directly sitting on the dewy grass. He had his mp3 player on and he was focused on picking a song on his way to a bench when he tripped over someone's long legs sprawled out from another bench.

He picked himself off and wiped some dirt off his jeans.

"Sorry, I didn't…Bren?"

Brennan was watching clean himself off with a grin. "You fall a lot," she commented, "I hope this isn't what happens when you try to throw the football."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Only for you," he smirked. Brennan could feel herself blushing and she knew she couldn't hide it.

Booth sat down on the bench next to her and they talked until it was time for Brennan to go to class. Even then, Booth didn't want to leave her company so he walked her to class. They made plans to meet at the diner for lunch. And when they were at lunch, they made plans to meet for dinner at the residence dining hall.

They sat at a table for two in the dining hall and ate in silence.

"Sorry this isn't the diner, Bren," Booth said between giant bites of his cheeseburger.

"It's not a problem, Booth. I don't expect to go out to eat every day." She picked at her less than appealing salad. The food in the dining hall was like an all-you-can-eat buffet full of leftovers and everything was at least a day old. "How's your burger?"

"Eh, it 'snot the same as the diner. Diner's _WAY _better..." he said with food in his mouth, "Let's at least go there for dessert!"

Brennan nodded and took another bite of the limp spinach. Booth threw his burger back onto his plate and announced, "Well, I'm done. What do you say, Bren? Diner?" He leaned close to her, waiting for her response in noisy dining hall.

She could smell him. He smelled like a boy. _Go figure, of course he smells like a boy, _Brennan thought, _but not sweaty, nasty boy; like a perfectly groomed, takes-care-of-how-he-looks boy._

Her heart panged with emptiness, knowing he was too good for her, that he would never fall for a geeky girl like her. "Let's go. Does the diner have any other desserts besides pie?"

The week ended quickly and Brennan was both excited and nervous to see her new best friend do what he does best.

Maggie couldn't believe Temperance invited her to a football game. Tempe even had tickets right behind the home team bench on the fifty yard line. Maggie couldn't fathom how her previously un-cool roommate scored such sweet tickets but Maggie wasn't complaining.

They made their way to their seats and Maggie couldn't contain her excitement.

As the pre-game festivities began and players were announced, an event security guard came up to the roommates. "These seats are for family only, girls. I'm sorry but you'll have to go to the student section," the guard said.

Maggie started pouting. Brennan, on the other hand, was firm and kept on the lookout for Booth.

"Miss…" the guard kept gesturing for Brennan to follow her roommate back up the stadium steps.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I have tickets. My brother gave them to me," she said, not taking her eyes off the giant huddle of football players getting ready for kickoff. She still hadn't seen Booth.

"Who's your brother?"

Brennan just pointed. The guard smiled. "You're Robinson's sister? Oh…well, I guess I can see the resemblance. My mistake, girls. Enjoy the game." The guard walked away and Maggie stared at her roommate in awe.

"I can't believe you got away with that! So who did you really get the tickets from?"

Brennan kept looking for Booth. All of the players were stretching on the field in a mass of purple and white, the school's colors. She couldn't tell one person from another. But then she looked up at the giant video board to see pictures of the starting lineup on offense.

"Him!" Brennan shouted when Booth's picture scrolled across the board, "I got the tickets from him!"

Maggie's jaw dropped. She began to stutter, "Th-that's who…who I brought back...how did you…when did you…"

"I tutor him. I'd say we're pretty good friends. He's making excellent progress in his anthropology stud-"

"How is he in bed? He wouldn't go all the way with me." Maggie looked at Brennan with intense admiration.

"We're not…I'm not sleeping with him!" Brennan shouted.

"Then how did you get the tickets?"

"He's my friend. He gave them to me. Plus, he told me it would be an opportunity to observe another part of American culture. I've never seen this part of our culture before. It would make a very interesting research project."

Maggie seemed disappointed for Temperance. She wanted her roomie to have a love life. She wanted to gossip with Temperance. She wanted Brennan to act like a _girl _for once.

The Wildcats won the game and Brennan had almost lost her voice cheering for Booth.

After the game, Booth had some team commitments but told Brennan on his way to the locker room that he'd come to her dorm room as soon as he was done.

It was a few hours later that Booth showed up. He had the post game press conference, team meeting and then he cleaned himself up before he went to see Bren.

"Can you believe it?!" Booth cried as he walked into Brennan and Maggie's room, "Fifteen completed passes for 306 yards, baby!"

Brennan looked up from another paper she was in the process of writing and said, "I don't know what that means."

"I'll explain on our way to the diner. Let's go! Some of the guys are gonna meet us there. They wanna meet you." She grabbed her bag as Booth pulled her out the door.

Brennan met all of Booth's best friends. All of the guys from the offensive line eyed her like a twig they could snap with their pinkies. The wide receivers, running backs and safeties introduced themselves and went back to discussing who the better player was: Walter Payton or Mean Joe Greene. The defensive line all gave her a nod of the head and continued discussing their strategy for the upcoming game. The smaller special teams kids sat in a corner of the diner with piles of food on their table. Booth made the comment that they wanted to play a bigger role on the team than just kicking and punting so they were doing everything they could to bulk up.

Brennan and Booth took a table by the windows and sat by themselves. For the most part, they were in their own little world surround by Booth's closest friends. Occasionally, someone would come talk to him, ask his opinion on a play they were thinking about running for the next game or come to find out what the status was of Bren and Booth's relationship. By the time Brennan and Booth left the diner, Brennan had been asked out on a total of 23 dates, all of which were turned down by Booth for her.

They walked back to his dorm room, chatting the whole way about football and how excited Brennan was to observe such a "strange aspect" of culture. They watched movies in his room and Brennan met Drew. After each movie, she analyzed the anthropological characteristics in it and even quizzed Booth on some of the things she had been tutoring him over. She even suggested they watched _Sportscenter._ Booth was in one of their top plays, throwing a Hail Mary pass with just three seconds left in the game. The receiver scored and Booth was a hero again.

"Pops and Jared are excited to meet you next weekend. I really want you to come to more of my games," he said after _Sportscenter_ was over.

Booth received no response. He looked over to Bren. She was curled up in the corner of the futon, sleeping, even though the volume on the TV was louder than a departing airplane.

He picked her up and put her in his bed. It wasn't lofted like hers so it was much easier to get in and out of his bed. She hardly squirmed as Booth laid her down and covered her with the comforter. As he got the futon set up for him to crash on, he heard her call for him.

"You don't have to sleep there. You sleep here. Your bed is big enough for two," she mumbled, turning on her side to face him. He slid onto his bed slowly and kept close to the edge. He felt Bren shiver and he moved closer. Before he knew it, she was sleeping soundly, using his chest as a pillow and all he could do was smile.

**A/N: Let me know what you think!**


	4. A nap at the airport

**A/N: Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thanks to all who have reviewed alerted and made this story a favorite. Seeing all of those notifications in my inbox really made me so happy. So thanks again! Also, I have an idea where I want to take the story but the details are kind of fuzzy. So, if anyone has ideas of where to take the story or plot points they'd like to see happen, just let me know!  
**

**XXXXXXXXXXXX **

Brennan and Booth woke up that next morning and went to the diner for breakfast.

"So, are you going to tell me what makes Bren tick?" Booth said, leaning back in his chair, "I wanna know everything about you. I mean, you know practically everything about me. I haven't shut up about me."

"That's common in Alpha Males. You take charge of everything. You are the leader of the football team and you usually lead the conversations between us, or anyone for that matter," Brennan informed him.

"Well, you can be the Alpha Female now. You talk."

"What do you want to know?

He looked at her. Bren looked genuinely confused. Booth could tell she wasn't normally put in this situation.

"Tell me everything." Booth looked at her. She now seemed confused, or was she troubled.

"I don't know where to start…" Brennan began fiddling with her napkin. She was nervous. She didn't want to talk about her parents or her brother. She hated being reminded about her time in foster care. She had just left that all behind a few months ago and Brennan was not about to go back there.

Booth stared at her. She wasn't looking at him. She was staring at her empty salad plate, practically tearing her napkin into shreds.

"Start at the beginning. I already know when your birthday is. What are your parents like? You know about my dysfunctional family. I wanna know about yours."

Brennan looked up at him. She had tears in her eyes. "Let's talk about something else. What's the line on the game this weekend?"

"Whoa, Bren, I'm surprised you know what 'the line' means. But I-"

"It's not that hard. It's used in betting on either the underdog or whoever is supposed to win."

He sighed. "Bren, are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

"Can we…." She looked around the diner. It was full of people. Brennan didn't want to make a scene in front of all of those people, "Let's take a walk."

They got up and Booth went to the counter to pay the bill. Brennan waited just outside the door and as soon as he started opening the door, Brennan started to walk down the street. She could hear thunder in the distance and noticed clouds rolling quickly over their heads. Brennan knew a storm was coming soon and she could feel the metaphorical storm building inside her, the thunder waiting to explode like a sonic shock wave.

"I was in foster care all during high school. My parents left me and my brother alone when I was fifteen. Russ left a few months later. I had been living on my own for a while when one of my teachers discovered that I was walking the sixteen miles to school every day. She offered me a ride home and I accepted. She asked why Russ didn't pick me up any more and I told her all of my problems, which was admittedly the biggest mistake of my life. All teachers are mandatory reporters. If they know or sense there is a problem with a student, they have to report it. I was in seven foster homes in four years. The next was always worse than the last. Do you see this?" She pulled up her skirt to show Booth a burn scar on her thigh. "This was because I accidently let the water boil over for the pasta they made me make them every night. And this," she dropped her skirt, turned around and raised her shirt. "See this? This is because my younger foster brother ate a snack too close to dinner time. And apparently, it was my fault for letting him eat." She hid the healing chemical burn, most likely from ammonia, Booth thought, and turned away from her.

He had no idea. If he had known about these scars, both physical and emotional, he would've never pushed her on the subject. She was sobbing quietly, Brennan's tears flowing harder than the rain was coming down. The raindrops on her shirt were slowly masking the drops made by her tears.

Brennan waited for Booth to say something. He was pacing on the sidewalk in front of her, thinking of the best thing to say. She began to walk away. He looked up and realized she was almost half way down the block. He jogged to catch up with her.

"Bren, look at me."

She kept walking and when Brennan didn't stop, Booth grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. His hand was still in the air and she flinched.

"What was that? Did you think I was going to hit you?" Booth tried looking into her eyes. But she was hiding her face; her eyes were clouded over by pain she hadn't felt since she showed up on campus.

"I would never hit a woman, especially you," he told her. He slipped a finger under her chin to lift her face. He wanted her to look him in the eyes. He wanted her to know that she could trust him.

"Bren, that's all behind you now. You don't need to face any of that anymore. I'm here for you. I won't push you for anything else but if you ever want to talk about this again, you know where to find me. I'm sorry I brought it up."

Brennan looked in his eyes and saw his concern. She half-smiled.

"It's okay. You didn't know, Booth. I'm sorry I went kind of crazy on you. You're the first person I've told. Ever."

They started walking back toward the dorms. It was pouring now and Brennan started shivering. Booth pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her, protecting her from both storms.

XXXXXXXX

Apart from that, the week passed somewhat uneventfully. Apart only during class, Brennan and Booth had become inseparable. She practically lived in Booth's dorm room now by the amount of time she spent there and she and Drew were becoming fast friends too. They had become known at the diner by name in less than a week and Brennan had become as much as a campus-wide known face as the football players. Booth had been considered the most eligible bachelor on campus and Brennan was now known as the girl to be jealous of.

Booth and Brennan went to pick up Hank and Jared at the airport on the Thursday night before the game.

They arrived at the airport about an hour before Hank and Jared's plane was about to arrive. As they took their seats in the arrival waiting area, they heard an announcement.

"Flight 476 from Philadelphia had been delayed. There is dense fog coming in their flight path. The flight will stop in Cleveland until it is safe to continue."

Booth groaned. "Well, I guess we should make ourselves comfortable. Good thing we both brought homework. That only lasted for a little while, however. As soon as Booth spotted the arcade, he was gone. Brennan sat in the waiting area while Booth scored several high scores on the racing game.

When he rejoined Brennan in the arrivals waiting area, she was dozing with her linguistic anthropology textbook wide open on her lap. He smiled and sat next to her, finally succumbing to sleep himself.

It was almost three in the morning when Hank and Jared's plane finally landed.

The pair came out of the terminal to the waiting area to find Booth sprawled out on a chair, head slumped back with his mouth hanging open and Brennan lying down on his lap, covering several other chairs.

Jared looked at his grandfather and grinned. He had a mischievous look on his face and Hank didn't like it. He opened his bottle of water and poured it into Booth's gaping mouth.

Booth shot up like a rocket, spitting the water all over Brennan and Jared.

"Booth!" Brennan yelled, wiping the water off of her face.

"Jared, I swear to God, if I hadn't missed you so much, you'd be dead right now!" Booth leaped up to hug his brother and grandfather.

"Pops, Jared, this is Bren," Booth introduced.

They all shook hands and Booth took Hank's bags. They all began chatting while heading toward the parking lot.

"Nice, Seeley. She's pretty hot," Jared said to his brother under his breath.

"Knock it off, man. She's my tutor. _AND _my friend."

"Does that mean I can hit on her?


	5. A family she belongs to

**A/N: I really hope you guys read this because there is some important stuff I'd like to mention first. This chapter is kind of heavy on the football. I'm an über big football fan so with Booth being the quarterback and it being Family Weekend, the chapter is mainly centered around the game. I tried to describe all of the football terminology in layman's terms, not saying you all are stupid, but just in case there is someone out there who doesn't like or understand football. Secondly, if anyone reading this think it seems familiar, it is. I modeled this chapter after a November 7****th, 2009**** game, Wildcats vs. Hawkeyes. No, I'm not a Wildcat, I am a Hawkeye. I attended this game personally and the events in this chapter pretty much resemble the events from the game, except instead of the Hawkeyes playing the Wildcats, the Nittany Lions are playing the Wildcats. All three are in the Big Ten conference. Sorry this note is going on so long but I just thought I'd give a little back info. If anyone has football questions, just message me or leave a review. So, anyway……**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The Booth family and Brennan took a taxi from the airport over to the hotel Hank and Jared were staying at right off campus. It was cramped in the car. The younger ones let Hank ride up front with the cabbie and Brennan and both younger Booths squished their way into the back.

"I'll take middle," Brennan volunteered.

"No!" Booth yelped, "I will. You shouldn't have to sit there."

"But it makes the most sense, Booth. Between the three of us, I have the least amount of body mass. Both you and your brother are _extremely _built," she rationalized. Jared grinned. Booth wanted to smack the smile right off of his goofy face.

"Nope!" Booth shoved Jared out of the way and sat in the middle. "Come on!" he hollered, "Let's not keep this nice driver waiting!"

Brennan and Jared both looked at each other. Brennan shrugged and Jared rolled his eyes.

"So, Bren, why did you decide to help my big brother from failing his class?" Jared questioned, practically shouting around Booth.

"Well-" She started. Booth's hand covered her mouth.

"You don't really have to talk to him. He's a pest. Jared looks up to me, see, because they see me on _ESPN _all the time and I'm kinda a big shot back home. He'll do anything he can to annoy me, including trying to take my woman," Booth whispered.

"Booth! I am not _your _woman! I don't belong to anyone," Brennan said rather loudly. Booth's arm had taken up occupancy behind her head over the back of her seat. As she realized this, she awkwardly turned around, grabbed his arm and threw it on his lap. Booth scoffed and put his arm back. Brennan huffed and turned to stare out the window. Hank and Jared smirked.

"I didn't mean you're _my _woman. But you're my friend. And, I'm telling you this, straight up, Jared's no good. Plus, he's a baby. He's so much younger than us."

"Hey! I'm only three years younger!" Jared chimed in. Booth turned to glare at his brother and give him the cut-it-out gesture.

It was a long taxi ride to campus and the hotel. Brennan and Booth both helped Hank and Jared settle in their room when Booth had an idea.

"Pops, I'm tellin' ya, I never do this, but I think I'm going to take tomorrow off. I'll show you guys around campus and downtown, you guys can see my dorm room and stuff. It'll be great!"

"No, Booth, you can't," Brennan said. She received a glare from Booth and raised eyebrows from Hank and Jared.

"If he listens to her," Jared leaned over to his grandfather and whispered, "She's got him wrapped around her little finger." Hank looked at him and nodded. He had never seen his oldest grandson this way. Sure, he had girlfriends in high school and they were nice too, but this Bren girl sure had some sort of hold on Seeley Booth that Hank wasn't used to seeing.

"Why not?!" Booth exclaimed.

"You have your Introduction to Anthropology test tomorrow. And I think you're actually ready. Out of all the time we've spent together, we spent approximately 63 percent of that time studying. And we have spent _a lot_ of time together," Brennan said.

Jared _oooh_-ed quietly. Hank gave him a gentle elbow to the ribs and Booth turned around to glare at him.

"Shrimp, you should go to class tomorrow. All of them. It'll give me time to wake up your brother because we both know he's going to take advantage of playing hooky from school to sleep all day. Plus this time change thing is gonna screw with my body clock," Hank told them.

"Booth, your last class is that taking that test. You'll be done by noon at the latest. Just come back to see your family then," Brennan suggested.

"Bren, are your folks coming in this weekend?" Hank asked.

Brennan's eyes glazed over. "No, they're not." She swallowed hard and willed herself not to cry. Just the idea of Family Weekend made Brennan miss her parents even more than usual. Maggie, Drew and even acquaintances from her classes were talking about going shopping with their mom or showing their younger siblings what college life is really like. Brennan was going to miss out on all of it.

"Well then, you're welcome to spend the weekend with us. We don't want you to be the only girl on campus without a family this weekend!" Hank said, smiling.

"Thank you, but you don't get to see Booth all that often. I don't want to ruin family time."

"Nonsense! You're the one who's keeping Seeley here! Without you, he'd be back in Philly 'cuz his grades suck so bad!" Hank yelled. Booth smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Basically, Bren, he's saying you're family now, too," Booth explained.

Brennan got the look on her face when she begins to analyze something. Booth laughed. "Wanna hang out with us this weekend or not?"

She smiled and nodded. It was good to feel wanted.

"We should go, though. It's almost five and we both have class in three hours so, I don't know about you," he said looking at Brennan, "but I'm gonna go try to catch a nap."

They all said goodbyes and Booth and Brennan walked back to the dorms.

"Diner for breakfast?" Booth suggested as they walked out into the night, well, morning. The sun was barely starting to rise and Booth was wide awake. He was excited for his granddad and his brother to be here and he couldn't wait to catch up.

"Booth, I'm tired. And we both have class soon. Let's just nap."

Booth shook his head vigorously. For not sleeping in almost twenty four hours, Booth had an abundance of energy that came from nowhere.

"We can sleep when we're dead, Bren. I'm starvin' like Marvin! Let's go to the diner," he begged.

"Who's Marvin? If he's really that hungry, we can take him to the diner with us," Brennan suggested.

Booth just laughed. "Starvin' like Marvin is a saying. It rhymes. It's supposed to be funny, Bren."

"Oh, I still don't understand it."

"Does this mean we can go to the diner?"

"Well as long as we can go back to our rooms to get our books. Plus, I don't wanna wear yesterday's clothes," Brennan told him.

"Yes!" Booth did a little leap in the air with a fist pump. Brennan giggled.

"Thanks for letting me spend time with you and your family this weekend. It means a lot to me," she confessed.

"Bren, you don't have to thank me. Pops loved you before he even met you, just 'cuz you're helping me keep my grades up and keeping me in line."

They walked a little farther in silence. It was a comfortable one but Brennan had something on her mind that she needed to say.

"My parents have been missing for almost five years now. They're dead. After that long, no one comes back. What you and your family are doing for me this weekend…well… it's just nice to feel wanted every once in a while."

She wasn't sad. She was hopeful. Brennan thought she had finally found someplace she belonged, if only for a little while. A little while was better than nothing at all.

XXXXXXXX

Brennan waited just outside of Booth's classroom in the anthropology and sociology building. He was the last one left taking the test. That was either a good thing or a bad thing. Good, because it meant he was taking his time and answering all of the questions thoroughly. Bad, because it could mean he was stumped or couldn't remember what Brennan had helped him learn over the last week or two.

Booth finally walked out of his classroom. He was surprised she was there, waiting for him, but he knew he shouldn't be. He was her only friend. Not in the bad, I-hate-people kind of way, the way she knew he was the only one she could trust.

"So…how was it?" she asked.

Booth shrugged. "It felt easy. But then again, maybe it was hard and I was just fooling myself. But I wrote a lot for the short answer. My TA even told me I could cut some of it down. So maybe, I'll be fine. I don't know. I wish he would just grade it now so I could know now."

"It'll be fine. We studied enough that you'll pass. I estimate you'll get a low A, high B, guessing from the amount we studied those chapters. Come on, Hank and Jared are meeting us at that restaurant in their hotel." She grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door.

XXXXXXX

Brennan and Booth showed the two other Booth men around campus and took them to the diner for dinner. They had all convinced Brennan to go to the game the next day. It was a night game and Booth loved playing under the lights. Booth felt like he had finally made it, like he had a purpose in life. His purpose was to wow and thrill the Wildcat fans every weekend for three months. The rare night games, however, made Booth's life stand still for a few hours.

Brennan and Booth met Hank and Jared at the diner for lunch. Booth had to be at the indoor football practice facility by 3 in the afternoon, even though the game didn't start until 7:30 that night. Jared and Hank walked with Brennan around town and escorted her back to her dorm room to get warmer clothes for the game. It was early November now and, while the days were decently warm, as soon as the sun was gone, it was bitterly cold.

Brennan didn't have much in the way of school spirit clothes. She had a purple stocking cap and gloves to make up for it, however. On the way to the stadium, Hank bought a pack of Wildcat stickers meant to look like tattoos. He put one on each cheek and gave the other two to Jared and Brennan. Jared put one on his forehead while Brennan put one on her cheek, just like the cheerleaders had it Brennan had seen the week before.

_At least I have some school spirit now, _Brennan thought, _Booth would be proud._

They showed their tickets at the gate and went inside. It was close to seven and the stadium was filling up quickly. They were playing Penn State, a conference rival and Booth's second choice school. Penn State was obviously closer to home, but at Northwestern, Booth had the starting spot secured, where as if he had chosen Penn State, he'd be on the sidelines, just watching.

The announcers' voice came through the speakers like a bomb announcing the starting lineup.

Hank, Jared and Brennan all cheered loudly as Booth's name was said first. Booth jogged out onto the field, waved his helmet up in the air and then pumped his arms up, trying to get the crowd to cheer louder. His teammates were announced and Brennan began telling Hank and Jared all about each player. Apart from the after game party at the diner last weekend, Brennan had had a few other interactions with Booth's teammates and she was starting to get to know all of them pretty well. Hank and Jared were surprised at Brennan's knowledge of the team.

Brennan was excited for the game to start. She had learned earlier in the week that his jersey number was five. Her favorite number. So while the entire field was covered with guys in purple and white jerseys, Brennan spotted Booth and never took her eyes off of him. The game started and the Wildcats were on defense first. Booth was sitting on the bench, waiting for his team to gain possession of the ball.

The first half of the game was intense. It was a back and forth ball game. Neither defense could stop the other offense. By half time, it was 28-28 with the Wildcats getting the ball after halftime was over. Booth was playing phenomenally. He hadn't been sacked, thrown an interception and completed every pass. Booth was at the top of his game. And everyone knew it.

The football team left the field as the marching band came on and Booth waved to his own personal cheering section as he went to the locker room.

Halftime came and went. The energy of the crowd at the stadium was intense. The players ran back out and the crowd erupted. Booth was at the front of the pack, leading his team out onto the field.

The Penn State Nittany Lions kicked off and the Northwestern Wildcats returned the ball to the twenty yard line. Booth slipped his helmet on and ran out with the offensive line, the guys who were there to protect him.

Booth and the other players got in the huddle, discussed the play, and lined up. He hiked the ball, handing it off to his friend, Adam, who ended up running backwards and was tackled on the ten yard line.

Second down and twenty yards to go. Booth set the ball into motion again and pitched it to another friend, Brandon, who, like Adam, lost yards on the play. The Penn State defense had stepped it up and now the Wildcats were at risk for losing their undefeated season.

Third down and twenty five yards to go. The offensive line was almost in the end zone. A yard or two more and Booth would've been there, giving the Lions a chance for a two point safety and control of the ball.

Booth hiked the ball and he didn't even see it coming. He was sending a pass down field to Adam, and just as the ball barely left his hand, a defensive tackle came up from his left and took him to the ground.

It was Booth's first sack all season, the first time he had been tackled. Where were his linemen? Why hadn't they stopped this guy?

As soon as Booth hit the ground, that's when he felt his knee dislocate and something tear in his ankle. He yelled in pain, the side of his hip now touching his ankle. No one should bend that way.

The play was almost over. Adam took off and scored a touchdown. But Booth didn't get up to celebrate. He wasn't moving at all for that fact. While everyone's eyes were focused on the celebration in the end zone, Brennan, Hank, and Jared all stared in the opposite direction, waiting for Booth to run back for the sideline. And that's when the coaches, trainers and the team doctor all ran out to see why Booth wasn't moving.

Had there not been barriers in her way, Brennan would be running alongside them. She needed to know he was okay too. By now, the party in the other end zone was finish and there was an eerie silence among the fans. They needed Booth to be okay too. He was going to take them all the way to the national championship. They were ranked number one for the first time since 1962 and were on their way to Big Ten history. They had never won a national title. And Seeley Booth was just the quarterback to lead them to it.

Booth had been lying on the ground for five minutes now and the student section at Ryan Field was now loudly gossiping about what was going to happen. Hank was talking to some parents behind them, discussing out loud the options his grandson might have if he was hurt. Jared sat in his seat, his head buried in his hands. Brennan couldn't see around all of the coaches, trainers, doctors, and now players that surrounded her best friend. Even the legendary Penn State coach, Joe Paterno, was worried about Booth. From the tunnel, a Gator 4-wheeler came out. It had a long bed attached and was normally used for gurney purposes to haul injured players. Seeing this, Jared stood up and Hank turned around. Seconds later, Booth appeared and was being helped by trainers and players onto the Gator gurney. The fans erupted in applause and started chanting his name. As the Gator drove by the family section, Booth locked eyes with Brennan for a split second. Then a trainer tried moving his ankle and he yelped in pain. As he rode by the student section, the students started singing the fight song and cheering his name.

Brennan, Jared and Hank lost sight of him as he went deeper into the tunnel. They all sat down at once, as the commentators announce the backup quarterback, Kale Mayflower, who would play at the next possession change.

Jared scoffed. "This guy sounds like a little bitch. What kind of pansy name is Kale Mayflower anyway?"

Neither Hank nor Brennan answered him. They sat in silence. Brennan was listening to everything but not paying attention. She wanted to tell the coaches to stop the game until Booth could start playing again. But she saw how he went down. His ankle practically bent in half. But even with her immense knowledge of the skeleton, knowing Booth's ankle really didn't bend in half, she just knew he was in pain. Football was his life. So now what? Now what was he supposed to do?

"Mr. Booth?" A young trainer ran up to the front of the barrier just in front of them. He stood on his tiptoes to see over it better. "Seeley's asking for you. He wants you all to come back to the head trainer's office." After Jared leapt over, he and the kid helped Hank over the wall. Jared stuck his hand out to Brennan.

"You know he means you too." He waited for her to accept his hand to help her over the barrier. She shook her head.

"I'm sure the trainer only allows family."

Jared chuckled, sounding just like Booth, "The way he looks at you…you're more than family."

Brennan thought for a split second and took Jared's hand, leaping over the wall.

**A/N: So let me know what you think! This is probably my favorite chapter so far; I had a lot of fun writing it. If there is anything you think needs work or even have ideas for the storyline, let me know! If there's something you want Bones or Booth to do, all you have to do is ask! **


	6. A disappointment in the replay

Jared and Brennan jogged slightly catch up with Hank and the young trainer who were already in the tunnel, leading to the locker rooms and trainer's office. They were led down a wide hallway and through a couple doors where they could hear Booth hollering in pain.

"Damn it, Ross, just stop! We both know my ankle's broken and making me walk on it isn't going to make it better! Let me sit down and stop touching me!" Booth shouted at the team doctor.

"Seeley, we don't know it's broken. We gotta take some x-rays."

The young man who had escorted them through the tunnel told them to wait in the weight room and he'd come get them as soon as Dr. Ross, the team doctor was done examining Booth.

Jared began to pace. Hank sat down on a bench and motioned Brennan to join him.

"Whatever is going on, it's obviously not good. Jared and I have to go home tomorrow and I need you to promise me that you'll take care of him," he told her, taking her hand.

"Of course," Brennan said quietly. She looked up at Hank. He had a sad smile on his face.

"Seeley lives for football. This injury, whatever it is, is going to break him. He's going to give up and he's going to feel like there is no hope left for him. You need to tell him that he's going to recover. He needs to know that he's got three more years after this to achieve his dreams. He'll see the light, but only if you make him. He trusts you more than he trusts Jared. Make him see there is no good reason to give up. He'll listen to you because of who you are to him."

"Well, what am I to him?" Brennan asked.

"You'll know. In time, you'll know," Hank said, dropping her hand and standing up.

He joined Jared and started pacing around the weight room, making laps around the various equipment in the small, stuffy room.

Dr. Ross came in the weight room and stared at the ground. Brennan looked up and Hank and Jared stopped pacing.

"Seeley is being taken over to the hospital for x-rays. All of my preliminary findings show, however, that he had dislocated his knee and has a high ankle sprain. The sprain will most likely need surgery to correct everything. If he doesn't have the surgery, his ankle will never heal properly. If that was to happen, he would never play football again. But," he added, hopefully, "with the surgery, he can be expected to play in any post season games they will attend."

Hank and Brennan both breathed a sigh of relief. Jared, however, was still fuming.

"You need to fix this now. He needs to start next weekend. They're playing Ohio State next weekend. How do you expect the team to play any post season games if Seel isn't playing?!" Jared punched the closest wall to him.

"Seeley isn't going to just magically heal. He needs time. He'll be back from the x-rays in about twenty minutes. If you want a more comfortable place to wait for him, I can show you to my office. As soon as he's back we can all go over treatment options as soon as I see what's going on in the x-ray," Dr. Ross said as he waited for Hank, Jared and Brennan to follow him.

Ross left them in his office to wait. Even with the office door closed, they could hear the fans cheering and the commentators yelling over the speaker system. The small TV that was in Dr. Ross' office was silently tuned to a live coverage of the game. The Wildcats were leading by a lot now and there was no way Penn State had a chance to win the game. Booth's replacement was doing a fairly decent job, but he wasn't as good as Booth.

Jared began pacing again and Hank held his head in his hands as Brennan studied the small room. There were few personal belongings to the doctor. No family pictures or even a computer. Just a small stack of papers on the otherwise empty desk. Brennan got up to turn up the volume on the TV. The commentators were discussing what could be wrong with Booth.

"_I don't know, Chet, if Seeley Booth doesn't recover soon, there is no way the Wildcats are going to make it all the way to the national championship. Let's see the replay again. We need to try to find out what exactly happened to the Wildcats' quarterback."_

The screen transitioned to a slow motion replay. Booth went down slowly. They could see his joints, muscles and tendons in his left leg move and bend in ways it shouldn't. The sports journalists verbally cringed.

"_Yikes!"_

"_Ow, that's gotta hurt. Look at the way he went down, Michael. His knee looks dislocated and his ankle could very well be broken."_

"_Okay we're getting preliminary reports back from the Wildcats and according to the team doctor, x-rays are done and developed and Booth is suffering from a knee dislocation and a high ankle sprain. Apparently, the quarterback has been admitted to the hospital and will have surgery early tomorrow morning to correct everything perfectly. Dr. Ross, the Wildcats' team doctor has released a statement saying that Seeley Booth should be fully recovered to lead the Wildcats to a successful post season bowl game win. Well, Michael, now who knows if they're even going to make it to the post season. They are close enough, rank-wise, to lose their number one slot. If they even lose by a single touchdown, the Wildcats are in jeopardy of missing out on their first ever national championship title."_

"Excuse me?" Dr. Ross popped his head into his office, "Seeley has been admit-"

"We know," Jared said, barely keeping in his emotion, "Why did you tell the media before us. We had a right to hear it from you instead of the news!"

Dr. Ross nodded. "I'm sorry but it wasn't my decision. My bosses decide when to release things and to whom. If you'd like, I can take you over to the hospital to see Seeley."

They followed the doctor to a large golf cart just outside the stadium and drove them to the university hospital a few blocks away. Now almost eleven at night, the game was ending and fans were pouring out of the stadium sing the school fight song and getting ready to party the night away. Dr. Ross accompanied them to Booth's room. He was still muddy and dirty from early in the game and was wide awake, watching replays on TV of his injury.

"Hey, Seel," Jared broke the silence first as they walked in the door. Hank looked up to the TV mounted on the wall, saw the replays and snatched the remote from his hand. He turned it off and Booth complained.

"I want to know what they say. I need to know we're still going to make it to the title!"

"Booth, they're probably pumping you full of drugs. You're not going to remember what they say in the morning anyway," Brennan told him.

"Bren! I was hoping you'd show up! Hey, Pops, wanna get me a washcloth? I'm all dirty and I can't let pretty girls see me all nasty."

"You have other girls coming to visit you?" Jared asked, grinning.

"No…Just Bren." He smiled at her and she blushed. "Oh, come on, Bren. You know I think you're pretty. I bet you think I'm pretty hot too."

"Damn, Seel, how many drugs are you on?" Jared reached for his chart, not that he could actually read it, he just wanted to look smart in front of Brennan.

"Well, the padding you wear for football makes you pretty good. Plus your face is fairly symmetrical in all aspects. It's no wonder all the other girls on campus throw themselves at you."

"Are you saying I'm hot?"

"Are you running a fever?"

"No, I-"

"Then I doubt your temperature is high. As I was saying, yes, your symmetrical features show me you are attractive."

Booth giggled, obviously a side effect of the painkillers he was on.

Hank was tired and he and Jared called a cab to take them back to their hotel. "We'll come back in the morning. Goodnight, Bren. Goodnight, Seeley," Hank said as he and his grandson walked out.

Brennan looked back at Booth. He was staring intently at her.

"I need something."

"Are you okay? Do you need the doctor? I can go get a nurse," she said, panicking.

"Give me the remote," he demanded.

"Oh, is that it?" She asked as she handed it to Booth.

"We won, right? Mayflower didn't screw up?"

She smiled at him. "Mayflower did fine from what I could still hear at the game. We were in Dr. Ross' office for a long time after you got hurt. But, yes, we won."

He sighed. "Wanna see my ankle?" Booth had a mischievous look on his face. "They left it unwrapped, thank God. It hurts like a son of a bitch though." He lifted the sheet that covered his legs. His knee was bruised but it otherwise didn't look too worse for the wear.

His ankle, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. His normally skinny ankle was now as large as his calf muscles. Brennan wanted to touch the swollen area. She lifted a finger. "No!" Booth shouted. She jumped back.

"Sorry, Bren, but it hurts. Look, no touch!" He smiled.

His ankle was bruised all different colors. Black, blue, purple, and a little yellow splotches covered and surrounded the swelling. He had bruises all the way down to his toes, even though they were hardly affected by the injury.

"Damn it!" he shouted at the TV.

"What? I didn't touch you!" Brennan said defensively.

"No, not you. Those assholes on _ESPN _are saying that we're not going to make it to the championship."

"You'll be better by then. Then this Mayflower kid can stay in the side spot."

"Sideline, Bren, stay on the sideline. And yeah, if I'm lucky, I'll play in the regular season closer."

Brennan didn't want to tell him that his recovery time would be a lot longer than just two weeks. She sat in a chair close to his bed and watched TV with him. Every once in a while, Booth would take a deep breath, hold it in and let it out all in one fell swoop. That was his way of getting through the pain.

"Booth, you really should take some of the pain killers. All you have to do is hit that button."

"I don't want it. I'm going to be on it after the surgery. I don't want to take more than I have to."

Brennan stared at him, knowing full well that he was in pain, but was too stubborn to do anything about it.

"Bren, you don't gotta stay. It's almost one in the morning. Go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow," Booth said, waving toward the door.

"Your grandfather gave me a very heartfelt speech about taking care of you so I'm staying here. And you even said that I can sleep when I'm dead, _even though_ technically, the dead do not sleep."

He chuckled. "Well then, you can watch the replays of me falling to my demise all night with me. It's staying on _Sportscenter_ all night, baby!"

"I am not a baby," she looked at him angrily, but she couldn't really be all that mad at him. He looked too vulnerable in his hospital gown and tubes attached.

He still winced in pain on occasion and when he readjusted himself in his bed, he muffled himself to keep from shouting out. Brennan didn't read people very well, but she could read Booth. He was in pain and he wasn't about to admit it. Booth looked like he was about to cry, his face red from holding back the tears he wasn't about to let fall. Brennan grabbed his hand and held on for dear life. He looked at her and then at the button for the pain killers.

"Don't, Bren. I don't need it. Please, I promise I'll push the button all the damn time after the surgery, just don't push the button. I don't want to be a drug addict."

Brennan laughed.

"You're laughing at me?! This isn't funny, Bren!"

"Booth, you won't become a drug addict just from taking some pain killers. You have an incredibly bad sprain. Honestly, I'm surprised your ankle isn't broken. And even if you do become addicted, which you won't," Brennan added, "I'll help you through all of it. Just like I helped you with anthropology."

"Promise?"

"I promise, Booth."

He smiled at her. "Come here." Booth patted the bed on his right side. As much as he trusted Brennan, no one, except the doctor, was going near that ankle. Painfully, he slid over as much as he could without falling off. She sat on the edge and looked back up at the TV.

"No, Bren. Come on, lay down," he encouraged.

She gave in to his perfect smile and rested her head on his chest. As he realized her breathing had slowed and she was finally sleeping, he nuzzled his face in the top of her head and kissed her. He fell asleep holding the girl he was imagining 30, 40, 50 down the road.

**A/N: Just a little homage to the 100th episode at the end. _Love _that episode! Anyway, let me know if you like it, think there's something that could be done better or something you want to see. **


	7. A test to be proud of

"Miss, you need to wake up. I'm sorry but you have to wake up now."

A nurse shook Brennan awake. There were several doctors and nurses quietly hovering around Booth's room.

"Oh, I assume you're here to take Booth to surgery?" The nurse nodded. Brennan nodded back and sat up. She hadn't meant to fall asleep in his bed.

"Bren?" Booth was awake but barely. He looked like hell and his ankle wasn't any smaller than it was the night before. The bruise was darker and his foot was swelling a bit now. She winced just looking at it.

"I'm here, Booth. I'll be here after your surgery too." She grabbed his hand once more and squeezed gently before the doctors wheeled him off.

The bare hospital room now felt empty without him. The TV was still on from last night, the sports shows still playing replays of Booth's injury on occasion. She turned it off. Brennan didn't want his injury to be the first thing he saw when he woke up. She called Maggie and asked her to bring a change of clothes and then called Hank and Jared's hotel to let them know Booth was in surgery.

She began to pace. She hated hospitals. They made her think of her past. She was in the hospital quite a bit once she entered the foster care system. Feeling a panic attack coming on, Brennan began to focus on Booth, and she began to calm down.

Brennan sat back down in her chair from the night before and stared out the window. She could see the stadium lights in the distance and replayed the play where Booth was injured over and over again. She was trying to figure out a way she could've stopped it.

Brennan knew in her mind there was no way she could've stopped Booth from getting hurt but it made her feel just a bit better knowing she would've if she could've.

"Temperance?" Maggie was in the doorway holding a drawstring bag. "Hi, how is he?"

Brennan shrugged. "He's in surgery now but he's not too happy about what these sports experts are saying. He's in a very bad mood about it."

"Well, I'd be in a bad mood too if I needed surgery. Anyway, I brought you some jeans, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. I just grabbed the one off your chair. I hope that's okay. And, I put a few granola bars in there in case you hadn't eaten yet."

Brennan smiled at her roommate. It was Booth's sweatshirt that had been hanging off the back of her chair. She knew it would smell like him and that made Brennan feel slightly better about the whole situation. "Thank you, Maggie. I haven't eaten yet but I'm sure I wouldn't want to eat hospital food. Booth says it's disgusting."

"Oh, and there's a graded test in there too. Some guy dropped it off for you yesterday. He said you requested that he grade it first and give it to you," Maggie added. It was Booth's graded Intro to Anthropology test. She yanked it out of the bag and stared at the circled red grade.

**A-**

She smiled. Booth was going to be so excited, but that was the least of his worries. She wanted him to get better quickly. Just like Hank said, football is his life.

"Bren! Did you stay here all night?" Booth's friend, Adam said as he and several members of the football team walked in.

They all started talking and the room sounded as loud as the crowd at the game the day before. Brennan snuck off to change and when she came out of the small bathroom that was attached to Booth's hospital room, Hank and Jared were walking in. The room was more crowded than ever before as more football players began showing up. If Booth came back in, there'd be no room for him and his bed.

Not long after, a nurse came in and reprimanded everyone and said only family members could stay for now. The team, coaches and Maggie all said they'd stay out in the waiting room. Soon, Booth was wheeled back in and he was still out. The doctor came in and told them he'd be out of it for a while longer and that the surgery was a success. With proper physical therapy and assuming his recovery would go smoothly, he'd be able to play in whatever post season game the Wildcats are selected for.

A few hours later, Jared and Hank were both dozing uncomfortably in the stiff chairs next to Booth's bed and Brennan was pacing at the foot of it. Booth moaned and she whipped her head around to look at him. She wiggled her way past Jared, who was now drooling on himself.

"Booth? Are you awake?" Brennan took his hand and squeezed gently to let him know she was there. He gripped her hand and gave a tired squeeze back.

"You can push that button now, Bren. My ankle hurts like a sonuvabitch." He lazily grinned at her as she pushed the button to let the drugs flow. Soon, he breathed a little easier and was in and out of sleep for the rest of the day, with some of the football players and coaches visiting whenever he woke up.

Hank and Jared left for the airport not long after Booth had woken up for the first time.

"Take care of him, Bren. He trusts you more than you realize. He needs you." Hank looked deep into her eyes and she saw some sort of pain there. Hank wanted to be there for Booth but with Jared still in high school, he had to stay with his younger grandson and leave Booth in the capable hands of the Anthropology student that Hank knew was the one for Booth.

Jared looked at her as he followed his grandfather out of the room. "Be good to my big brother."

Brennan nodded and waved goodbye.

"Bren? You still here?" Booth was awake again and it seemed like he was relatively coherent.

"I'm here, Booth. Guess what?"

"I can go home?" he asked, hopefully.

She shook her head. "No, tomorrow afternoon probably if you can handle the pain. But I got-"

"Oh I can handle the pain, baby. This is Seeley Booth you're talkin' to. I can handle anything"

"I have your anthropology test. And don't call me baby."

Booth just stared at her, waiting for her to say something.

"Come on, Bren, don't leave me hangin'! What'd I get?"

"An A-, just like I told you. I knew you'd be fine. I guess you don't really need me anymore."

She tossed his graded test on his lap. Brennan looked somewhat remorseful that he wouldn't need her help anymore. She promised Hank she'd take care of him but she wasn't sure he'd let her help.

"Of course I need you, Bren! Hey, I buy, you fly? I'm starving."

"Humans can't fly, Booth. You should know that."

He rolled his eyes. "Bren, it means if I pay the bill, will you go get the food?"

"Why can't we order in? That way, you buy and they metaphorically fly."

He laughed. "Chinese?"

"Thai," she bargained. Brennan walked over to his good side so she wouldn't hit his ankle or knee and nudged him to scoot over. Booth gladly followed her instructions as he called the Thai place.

The food arrived and they ate in his bed together. They talked about their pasts and they both exposed a bit more of the trouble they had been though and it was soon close to midnight. She was surprised at herself for opening up to Booth. But she was learning to trust. Hank said he trusted her so she needed to do the same. Brennan debated going back to her room to sleep. She only had two lectures on Mondays and she had decided she felt comfortable enough with the course material to skip in order to help Booth adjusting to crutches and making sure he took his pain medication.

"Hey! I just realized," Booth said, staring at her, "you're wearing my sweatshirt!"

Brennan blushed. "Maggie brought it to me earlier. It's comfortable and smells like you. I'd like to hang onto it for a while if it's okay you."

Booth just nodded. He wanted to know where this relationship was going. But, just from the little he knew about her past, Booth wasn't sure how Brennan would react to taking the next step and going on a few real dates.

After trying to convince Booth to let Brennan push the little button to release more painkillers, she gave up and lay back down next to him. They both fell asleep quickly, him being all she needed to make her forget about everything that happened in her past, and she being his painkiller.


	8. A night of firsts

Again, Brennan was woken by nurses in Booth's room. Surprisingly, she had slept until noon and they were prepping everything for Booth's discharge. Booth was awake but hardly moving, trying to let Brennan sleep as long as possible.

"Hey, Bren. Ready to take me home?" Booth asked.

Brennan rubbed her eyes, attempting to adjust to the bright room. "Uh, yeah, when do we go?"

"You can leave now. Mr. Booth, we just need you to sign these discharge papers. Your roommate dropped these off earlier this morning," she said, handing him a bag of clothes, "and you can just leave the hospital gown in the bathroom. Dr. Ross left your crutches by the bed and here are your prescriptions." The nurse handed Booth the forms and placed his medication in Brennan's hands.

Brennan helped Booth sit up, get his crutches and slowly move to the bathroom to change. After the nurse showed Booth and Brennan how to put on the protective boot on his ankle, they made their way out of the hospital and back to the dorms.

"Home sweet dorm," Booth sighed as he flopped down onto his futon.

Brennan smiled and handed him the TV remote. She sat down next to him and pulled out an anthropology book to read.

"So, uh, Bren, how about dinner?" Booth meant more than just dinner at the diner. He meant dinner at the cute, romantic French bistro just a few blocks from the diner. One of his football friends, who was in a committed relationship, said La Mie was the _only _way to woo a woman.

Brennan just shrugged. "I'm up for Chinese," she said, not taking her eyes off her book, "Maybe Drew can pick up some on his way back from his study group."

"Let's go somewhere. I'll call a cab. You go get ready."

"Well where are we going? If we're going to the diner, I don't mind wearing this." Brennan was more than confused. They didn't go anywhere besides the diner.

"Well, nicer than jeans and my baggy sweatshirt. Like a dress or something." Booth didn't make eye contact with her. He didn't want to say it was a date. He wanted to take her on a date without letting her think it was a date. They had the best times when they were just Bren and Booth, tutor and student, friends. No matter how much Booth wanted more, he couldn't break that barrier to the other side where Bren was. He couldn't hurt her.

"So…not the diner?" Brennan looked almost disappointed. "Where then?"

"La Mie. It's a French place. I've heard it's good. Hopefully, it's not too busy."

Brennan looked skeptical but told him she'd be right back. She left for her dorm room and Booth changed into slacks and a dress shirt. After wearing a hospital gown, he felt stuffy being in a button up shirt.

She came back in a navy blue eyelet lace sundress and a cream colored cardigan to keep her warm. Brennan wasn't thrilled about going to dinner in a dress in the middle of November but right now was all about Booth, not her. She wanted to make sure he was happy. Brennan could tell Booth was already missing his Pops and his brother and with his injury, Booth didn't spend as much time with them as he wanted.

Booth was struggling with his boot when she came back to his room. She knelt down to help him put it on and helped Booth stand up.

"You look…nice," Booth offered. He was afraid to scare her off, especially since she didn't know what she was actually getting into.

She blushed. "Thanks. Did I strap your boot too tightly? You still need proper blood flow to the injury to help it heal."

"No, Bren, it's fine. Thank you. Come on, the cab's probably waiting."

They arrived at the restaurant and it is luckily relatively empty. The hostess seats them in a quiet corner and hands them their menus.

"Booth, this is expensive! Let's just go to the diner."

He shook his head. "Nah, I've wanted to try this place for a while and I figured none of the guys would wanna come with so you are the only other person I would want to take."

"So, this isn't a date?" Brennan tried to clarify. She was hopeful. She wanted more out of this relationship with Booth even though she was now in new territory. She never dated anyone in high school. No one wanted to date Morticia. It was scary for her but she had an odd sort of trust in Booth, something she lost when her parents and Russ left. She felt some sort of love for Booth but it wasn't the same as the love she felt for her parents, brother or her friend, Mr. Buxley, from high school. It was deeper than that. Any time she was away from him or knew she would have to leave, she felt a pang in her chest that made her ache.

"It is…if you want it to be, I guess," Booth answered her very timidly. He couldn't decide to look at her reaction or change the subject.

"Then…it's a date." She looked up from her menu and smiled at him. Brennan had never seen him with a bigger smile than she had ever seen before.

The waitress walked up to their table. "Hi, I'm Brittany and I'll be your server tonight. How's your night going?"

Booth and Brennan smiled at each other.

"Wonderful," they said in unison.

**A/N: Okay, I just wanted to say that I totally freaked out during the episode tonight. I'm going to try not to give anything away in case some of you haven't seen it yet. But…Holy. Crap. I really wasn't expecting all of that. And now I'm having a nervous breakdown for the next episode. Just the preview made me anxious. Anyway, sorry this is just kind of a filler chapter. I have finals coming up and a major paper due so if I stop updating daily for a while, I have a legitimate excuse. But, let me know what you think! Input is always welcome! And as always, thank you everyone who has taken the time to review or put the story on alert. It means a lot to me! :)**


	9. A relationship without titles

Booth wasn't in the mood for the skimpy little desserts at the restaurant. He wanted real pie.

They slowly made their way the couple blocks to the diner, Booth hobbling with his crutches and boot as fast as he could since he knew Brennan was cold.

They shuffled in, greeted the staff and took their normal table for two in the back corner by the window.

Wanda, their favorite waitress, walked over. "Dinner or just dessert?"

"Just dessert tonight," Booth told her. Wanda returned a few minutes later with a slice of apple pie for Booth and red velvet cake for Brennan.

The pair sat and talked for a few hours until Booth realized he didn't bring his pain medication with him and he was starting to feel the pain of his injury again. It killed him every time he thought about it, knowing he may or may not get to play the rest of the season.

As they arrived to Booth's dorm room, Brennan asked, "What am I to you?" Booth looked confused and slightly offended. He didn't want her to think he was just using her or anything like that. But Hank's words, _"He trusts you because of who you are to him", _rang in Brennan's ears.

"Uh…what do you mean?" he asked after he swallowed his medication and sat down on his bed.

"Well, your granddad seems to think I'm someone important to you. I just don't understand what he meant."

"Oh," Booth was taken aback. He wasn't sure how to answer this. _Do I tell her I think I'm falling for her, or do I tell her we're just friends? God knows if I say friends, we'll never be anything more than that, _he thought. "Well, you're probably one of my best friends but…" He sighed. "I think…we could be more than that," he finished.

"Good. I was hoping you'd say something like that." Brennan sat down next to him. They sat in silence until Booth took initiative, brought her face to his, and kissed her, slowly at first and then it became frantic. Brennan then took control and forced Booth onto his back. She climbed on top of him, simultaneously hitting his injured knee and ankle.

Booth yelled out in pain. "Oh, shit, Booth, I am _so _sorry! Are you okay? Shit." Brennan looked at him for an answer. She was still hovering over him on his bed, staring at Booth's face for some sort of reply. His face was covered in agony but he kissed her anyway. Brennan resisted at first, wanting to make sure he was okay but gave in seconds later.

"Wait," Booth stopped and propped himself up on his elbows, forcing Brennan to back up.

"What? You don't want to kiss me? Is it because I've never been kissed before? Am I really that bad?" Brennan worried.

"No, it's not that. Where are we going with this? Are we dating or what?"

Brennan was shocked. "I don't like labels."

"Huh? You don't want me to call you my girlfriend?"

"It seems…excessive, unnecessary," she reasoned.

"But…we're exclusive, right? Like neither one of us dating anyone else?"

Bren looked at him like he wasn't thinking clearly. "Who else would date me? However, I know of plenty of girls who would willing go on a date with you."

Booth realized he took this too fast. But, no one can take back what has been said. So, with that in mind, he just went for it.

"Just…be my girlfriend, Bren, okay? And I'll be your boyfriend. But, we don't have to use the titles or whatever. Just say yes."

"Okay, Booth."

"Okay?" Booth wasn't sure she meant what she said.

"Okay. Why would I say no?" Brennan smiled at him as her lips grazed his.

**A/N: Sorry this is so short. I'm going to take the weekend off from writing to let my muse rest and my brain get into gear for finals. Please help me out with this! If you have ideas for me, if there is something you want Bones or Booth to do, have a way to add the other squints in or think some angst should be added, let me know!**


	10. A time to confess

"Wait, did you just say you've never been kissed before?" Booth pulled back from their kiss to look her in the eye. Brennan turned and moved away.

"Never been kissed. Never dated anyone either." Brennan blushed out of embarrassment.

"Bren, it's okay. That doesn't matter to me. I was just curious," he pulled her back to him.

Brennan smiled at him and kissed him lightly. "Do you mind if I ask about your previous relationships?"

"Uh, what do you want to know?" Booth thought it was an interesting question but he had nothing to hide. He'd answer whatever she wanted to know.

"I don't know, really. Just maybe who they were or why it ended," she offered.

"Okay well there was Jessica in preschool. She kissed me in the coat closet and I thought she had cooties so that ended that one…" He chuckled.

"Booth, I mean girlfriends that mattered." Brennan laughed with him.

"I thought you didn't like titles?"

Brennan had her rationalizing look on her face. "You do. To me, we are dating. To you, I am your girlfriend."

"Okay, okay well there was Melissa in 10th grade. She was my first kiss. She slobbered on me worse than a dog. That was the end of that."

Brennan looked worried. "You broke up with her because she was a bad kisser?"

Booth kissed her, deep and long.

"You have nothing to worry about. I promise. But then there was Kelly. She was just a summer fling. She was visiting her grandparents. They owned the hockey rink I played at and she was working there for the summer. It had to end. Neither one of us had a choice. Then there was Rachel. She cheated on me with my best friend. That ended both relationships. Let's see…after that was Nikki. Nikki moved away at the end of 11th grade. We tried to make it work over the summer. She moved to Vermont. Long distant relationships at that age never work….and then…there's you," he finished.

Brennan took a minute to take it all in. "Is four, five if you include me, girlfriends a lot of girlfriends?"

Booth shrugged. "I know guys that go through girls by the month. Honestly, I really don't think five is all that bad."

"Okay," she said. She kissed him. "I like this," she whispered onto his lips.

"Mmm, me too."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Two weeks later, Booth and Brennan were working on homework in the library together. They would occasionally steal glances from each other and smile when they locked eyes.

Booth leaned over to see what she was working on. He saw that she was just doodling. Flowers. All over her paper.

"What are you doing, Bren?"

"Nothing." She slammed her notebook shut and Booth smiled wide.

"Are you doodling?"

She had a confused look on her face. "I'm not entirely sure what that means."

"Doodle. Ya know, just randomly drawing for no reason. Whatcha drawing?" He kept leaning over her shoulder and tried to pry open her notebook.

"Booth!"

"Shhhhh, Bren, hush!" Booth mock whispered. "We're in the library."

"Fine, I'll show you what I doobled if you knock it off."

"Bren, its doodled. And I promise I'll stop."

She relented and opened her notebook. Drawings of daffodils and daisies covered the page.

"Wow, Bren. You're good. I didn't know you could draw."

She nodded. "This is the only thing I can draw. My favorites. After my mom…after I was put in my first foster home, this was the only thing, besides homework, that kept me from dwelling on what happened."

Booth didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Why daffodils and daisies?"

"Daffodils were my mom's favorite and daisies are just so friendly." She smiled up at him. Booth took a mental note and stored away this new information for a crappy day when she needed a pick-me-up.

"Guess what?" Booth prompted.

"Um…you finished your homework?" Brennan guessed.

"No. The doctor said I can practice with the team! I can't actually do much besides throw and hand the ball off but it's better than nothing!"

"Good! You've been quite pathetic about practice and games since you were injured."

"I'm offended, Bren. I'm not pathetic. Just incredibly depressed…except I can't really say that."

"Why not?"

"'Cuz I've got you. And you make everything better," he said, leaning in for a kiss.

XXXXXXXXX

**A/N: I just want to apologize for another short chapter. I should be able to crank out a pretty decent one for tomorrow though. I finished my forensics paper. It's over facial reproduction; I think Angela would be pretty proud. Lol but now I should have more time to write and get some longer chapters out there for you loyal readers. I want to thank **jsiebert **and **kira66 **for their awesome, fantabulistic ideas for the story. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! :) And as always, let me know what you guys think!**


	11. A bed to share

**A/N: Okay, before I begin, does anyone know what movie I referenced in the last chapter? I forgot to add that as part of the author's note last time. It was a pretty subtle reference but I'll tell you it had to do with Brennan's favorite flowers. Any guesses? I also want to thank everyone again who reviewed and favorited and alerted. All that makes my day! So thank you! It keeps my spirit up during finals week :) Oh and there's a little more football talk. For those of you who don't follow football, wearing a red jersey during practice means other players aren't allowed to tackle or hurt them because they're already injured. Just a little tidbit that will help you all understand this beginning section. So….**

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Thanksgiving Day had arrived and it seemed as if Booth and Brennan were the only people on campus. They went to the diner to celebrate, in their own odd way and that was when Booth decided to walk around without his protective boot on.

"Booth, I'm not sure that's a good idea. You find out next week what bowl game you go to and everyone's saying we have a good chance of going to the championship. If you hurt yourself now because you're goofing around, you'll hate yourself."

Booth rolled his eyes. "Bren, I've been practicing without the boot. I'm okay. I just have a few more practices left on the injured list and if Coach and Dr. Ross say I can play, I'm playing. No red jersey or anything. Let them tackle me! My guys have my back. The offensive line is better than it's ever been! Hey, you wanna come to the selection party?"

Brennan had on a confused look. "I don't know what that means."

"Coach is having a party at his place to next weekend when we find out which bowl we're playing in. He said we could bring someone if we wanted. I want you to come with."

Brennan agreed and winced when Booth took a few steps without the boot and crutches.

"See?! I'm fine, Bren. I'll put the boot back on- Just for you!- but I'm not using the crutches."

She laughed. "Okay, tough guy, don't get so defensive."

"I have another question for you," Booth said quietly.

"What is it?"

"Well, Pops called last night. I asked him something. But I had to tell him something else. I hope you're not mad at me. You wanna come to Philly for Christmas?" Booth felt tiny. He didn't want to betray Brennan's trust by telling his granddad everything but he didn't want Brennan to stay on campus for a month by herself over break either.

Brennan didn't look at him. She wasn't upset with him. She decoded what Booth had said. When he talked to Hank, he asked him if she could come for Christmas, but he needed to explain why she wasn't going to see her own family. It's because she didn't have a family. She was actually quite thankful Booth had done something like that for her. Brennan couldn't stop thinking about the day she realized her mom and dad weren't coming back. It was just before Christmas then Russ ruined everything by leaving not long after.

"I'm sorry, Bren. I should've asked you before I asked Pops."

"Booth, it's okay. I'd love to come." She smiled at him but only half heartedly.

Booth sighed. "I did something wrong. You're still sad. What's wrong?"

Brennan took a deep breath and said, "Mom and dad left around Christmas. And Russ left on New Year's Eve. Winter break is always difficult for me."

"Bren…" Booth pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to try to make this Christmas one of the best you've ever had."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Brennan and Booth arrived to his coach's house for the selection party just as everyone else was arriving too. It was going to be a packed house, but his coach welcomed everyone with open arms. Booth introduced Brennan to everyone she hadn't met already and escorted her to the large, open basement where more people were waiting. All kinds of staff for the football team were there and the place was soon packed. Brennan was having fun watching Booth play a few rounds of pool while they waited to hear the selections. He won every time.

One of the field goal kickers, Daniel, yelled for everyone to pipe down because the selection show was starting.

Booth and Brennan worked their way closer to the TV. There were over a hundred people crowded around the giant plasma screen.

The sports commentators started with the smaller games like the Alamo Bowl and the Gator Bowl and worked their way up to games like the Orange Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. By the time they were announcing the teams for the Rose Bowl, they still hadn't been listed. This could be good or bad. They were either coming up, still to be listed for one of the most prolific games in Wildcat history or they weren't on any list at all. They would be shut out from the selection process. Booth kept his hopes up. They had finished their season undefeated. There was no way they could be left out of any game.

The men on the TV announced the teams for the Rose Bowl and people started howling in anticipation for what was coming next. Brennan could feel her heart pounding in her chest and she gripped Booth's hand, squeezed tight and didn't let go.

Everyone's eyes were on the TV. The room was eerily silent and people were hardly breathing.

"_And the teams playing for the national title are…the Alabama Crimson Tide and…the Northwestern Wildcats. The number one and two teams are playing for the AFCA National Championship Trophy on Thursday, January 5__th__. For the first time in school history, the Wildcats are going to play for the title, led by injured freshman quarterback, Seeley Booth."_

No one heard the broadcast after their team name was announced. They leapt and shouted. The coaches' wives shrieked and their children did a little dance.

Booth jumped up and hugged Brennan. He then hoisted her into the air and over his back. Booth ran around the basement with Brennan upside down, dangling from his arm and shoulder as he celebrated with his teammates. When he finally put her down, Brennan playfully pushed him away but Booth grabbed her around her waist and pulled her in for a deep kiss. They could hear some chanting in the background. Booth reluctantly pulled away and pulled Brennan over to the group of students in a giant huddle, jumping simultaneously, arms in the air chanting the school mantra.

"Go U! NU!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

The semester ended with easy finals for both Brennan and Booth. Brennan, of course, passed each of her classes with flying colors but Booth was thrilled when he discovered he passed his Introduction to Anthropology course with an A.

"So, how exactly are we getting to Philadelphia?" Brennan asked as they began packing their things for the month long winter break.

"Pops is renting us a car. We can go pick it up tomorrow. Road trip, baby!" Booth shouted.

"Don't call me baby," she demanded.

"Sorry. I'm just so excited! We can get there in a day if we really want to. It's like thirteen hours at the most. We get some CDs to listen to in the car! I have a bunch. What do you have?"

"I only have one CD," she answered.

"Okay…and that is?"

"Well, I don't want to take it. It's kind of embarrassing. We'll just listen to what you want."

"Just tell me, Bren."

"Well, it was my dad's favorite. He loved them."

Booth laughed. "Bren, just tell me, please."

"Foreigner." She blushed. Booth laughed even harder. "It's not funny, Booth!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

They took a cab to the rental company the next day and picked up a little sedan that was just large enough for them and their belongings. They had left early in the morning and Booth drove first. Brennan slept until around noon when Booth stopped for lunch. They were probably six hours into their trip when Brennan offered to drive.

Brennan slipped into the drivers' seat and realized she couldn't reach the pedals.

"Sorry I'm a giant," Booth commented as she adjusted her seat. She took her CD out of its case and slid it into the dashboard player. _Hot Blooded _was the first song to come on and as Brennan steered the car back onto the interstate, she began tapping her hands on the steering wheel to the percussion. Booth pretended to be asleep. He cracked one eye open to watch her quietly sing along.

Brennan glanced over at him and he quickly shut his eye. She smiled. Booth opened his eyes, sat up and cranked up the volume.

"_Well, I'm hot blooded, check it and see. I've got a fever of a hundred and three. Come on, baby, can you do more than dance? I'm hot blooded, hot blooded!" _Booth sang to her. He sang into his fist like he was holding a microphone. Brennan sang right back at the top of her lungs. They started laughing.

"I didn't know you knew this song," she said, turning down the stereo.

"Bren, who doesn't know this song?"

"Well, probably some people who were born after it was released or people without radios…you meant that as a rhetorical question…didn't you?"

Booth nodded and grinned at her. She smiled back and kept singing. _"Hot blooded, now you're driving me wild…"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Late that night, they arrived in Philadelphia. Jared still had school for another week and was already asleep when they got there. Hank stayed up waiting for them and help the couple carry their things into the little ranch-style house. They stayed up and talked for a while, both Brennan and Booth pacing, stretching their legs from sitting in the car for so long.

Booth showed Brennan his room. Big enough for a queen size bed, a dresser and a nightstand, the walls were covered in Philadelphia Flyers posters. There were shelves with medals and trophies from football, hockey and basketball.

"You can sleep in here, Bren. I'll take the couch." Booth dropped his luggage in a corner.

"Shrimp," Hank said, "You sleep in here too. There's no point in sleeping on the couch for almost a month. I trust you guys."

Booth and Brennan both blushed. "Okay, Pops. Goodnight."

"Just no peeking when Bren's changin', Shrimp!"


	12. A scar time won't heal

**A/N: For those of you who guessed the movie I referenced in chapter 10, the answer is: ****You've Got Mail**** with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Every time I think of daisies, I think of Bones and that movie. Anyway…**

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Brennan was doing her best to keep her spirits up around Booth and his family. The closer Christmas got, the worse she hid her feelings, and thankfully, only Booth noticed.

Booth was doing what he could to keep her mind off of her parents. Jared had asked why Brennan was staying with them, but when Booth told him to back off, that Brennan's family life wasn't his concern, he got the idea and hasn't said anything since. Christmas morning came and like it had always been since their childhood, the Booth boys were up and going early, too excited for presents and to check their stockings.

This year, Booth lay in bed next to Brennan waiting for her to wake up. He wanted to wake her up. He felt like he was six years old again; Booth could hardly contain himself knowing presents were under the tree.

He heard his door creak open and checked to see who it was. Jared stuck his head in. Booth motioned for Jared to be quiet and pointed to a sleeping Brennan. Jared smiled, shook his head and yelled, "Time to wake up!"

Jared got a running start and jumped onto the bed, right in the slight crevice between Booth and Brennan. Booth attempted to throw him off the bed but Jared pulled him right down with him. They started wrestling and making all kinds of noise. Brennan was wide awake now and was yelling at the boys to knock it off. Hank appeared in the doorway and let out a high, piercing whistle.

"Alright, let's go open presents before you knock the house down." Hank stepped out of the doorway to avoid getting knocked down by his grandsons. Brennan slowly made her way out of the bed and into the living room, but not before grabbing her presents meant for the various members of the Booth family.

She set them under the tree while Booth and Jared poured the contents of their stockings on the floor.

"Bren, get your stocking!" Booth hollered. She looked over to the fireplace. There was a red and green stocking hanging between where Booth's had been and one with the name Joseph on it. She put this information away to ask Booth about later. Brennan's stocking had her name written in gold paint with a daisy painted on the longer part of the oversized felt sock.

She chuckled. "Who made this?"

"I did," Booth piped up. "Last night, when you fell asleep at the end of _White Christmas_. Santa must've filled it after we were all asleep."

"Booth, you should know by now that Santa is a fictional character parents tell their children about to behave. Actually, if you rearrange the letters you can spell Satan."

"Bren! Shh! It's Christmas. Let's not talk about Satan today, alright?" Booth said, giving Brennan a slight smile.

She sat down next to him and emptied her stocking. Mounds of candy fell in her lap along with some of the same tattoo like stickers Hank had bought at the game during Family Weekend and a Wildcat hair tie.

Hank came back into the room carrying a tray of mugs of hot chocolate. While he distributed the mugs, Booth and Jared handed out presents. Brennan was shocked to see she had gifts.

"Youngest goes first!" Jared called out and started ripping open presents from his granddad. But when he looked at one of the nametags, "Bren, you didn't have to get me anything."

Brennan smiled and shrugged, "Just open it." He tore open the paper and pulled out a picture frame of Booth holding Jared in a headlock, both smiling at the camera. The picture was taken before the Northwestern/Iowa game, before Booth got hurt.

Jared laughed. "Thank you."

"Your turn, Bren."

"Actually, Booth, I'm three months older than you. So, if we're opening presents from youngest to oldest, it's your turn," She said with certainty.

"Well, I think we should let Pops go," Jared butt in. Brennan and Booth agreed and Hank began to open is presents. Brennan got him a jersey that looked just like Booth's, but smaller, since Hank lacked the height and muscles Booth had. Jared got him some specialized tools to help him renovate his 1979 Jaguar that he was in the process of restoring. And Booth got him three sideline passes to the national title game. Sure, like home games, Booth was given ticket for his family, but he wanted them closer for his return to what he did best. Booth also got him new head covers for his golf clubs.

Brennan refused to go next so Booth opened his gifts. Jared gave him a giant book on the history of Wildcat football.

"I know jocks probably don't read but I'm sure Bren could teach you," was Jared's comment to his brother.

Hank had gotten Booth tickets to the next Flyers game and a few new Flyers shirts.

"Take Bren. My old ears can't handle all that racket at hockey games."

Booth then opened his present from Brennan. There were a pair of long, tie-dye socks and a Saint Sebastian medal, the patron saint of athletes.

"Socks?" Booth was confused.

"Well, I know you wear those boring white socks for games. I decided you need to wear something fun for the last game."

Booth laughed. "Okay, Bren, I'll make you a deal: I'll wear these under my white socks. How's that?"

Not quite understanding the concept of a football uniform required by his coaches, Brennan asked, "Why do you have to still wear the white socks?"

"'Cuz if I don't, Coach won't let me play. But I promise I'll still wear them." Booth smiled at her and kissed her on her cheek.

"What else did you get?" Jared asked. Booth handed him the medal. "I didn't know you were Catholic, Bren," Hank commented, "I've been looking for a medal like that for Seeley for a while now. Where did you find it?"

"At a store in Chicago. I'm not really Cath- …I haven't gone to church since Mom-….I'm not Catholic. But I know Booth is so I know if he believes this will keep him safe, than so do I."

Booth kissed her again, this time on the lips. "Thank you," he said softly.

Brennan just smiled. Jared told her it was her turn to open presents and she suddenly became overwhelmed with feelings and Brennan wasn't sure what to make of them. She was thrilled that these people cared enough about her to invite her into their home on Christmas but she couldn't get over the fact that she should be with her parents and her brother.

She slowly tore open the present from Hank. He picked out a few shirts that made Booth breathe a sigh of relief. There was a Flyers shirt, a Phillies shirt and a Wildcat shirt.

"Good job, Pops. Now Bren has something to wear at the Flyers game and for a Phillies game," he turned his attention back to Brennan, "and this summer, we can go to Phillies games!"

She opened Jared's present next. It was a scarf to match the purple and white hat and gloves she already had.

"You said you need more school spirit. Pops and I got ya covered." Jared winked at her.

Booth saw it and tackled his little brother and threw a fake punch. Booth let Brennan pull him off of Jared. Booth handed her the gift from him. It was a large, collage style picture frame. There was room for four pictures but only one space was occupied. It was a candid snapshot, taken during Family Weekend just before the game. It was of the two of them, laughing hysterically at something someone said, looking at each other. Brennan's hand was on Booth's shoulder pads as if she was hanging on to him for balance. Booth had been on the ground and Brennan in the first row of the stands, making her seem taller than him. The other slots for pictured were labeled: _title game, Flyers game,_ and _Phillies game._ They had planned this out, the clothes, tickets, pictures. But then Brennan realized what this meant. She knew baseball was only played in late spring, summer and a bit into fall from watching games with her father as a child. Rationalizing, she knew Booth still expected them to be together by summer. This fact made Brennan slightly nervous, and then she realized Booth cared greatly about her. This wasn't just some summer fling for him. She looked up at him. He was smiling but his face morphed to a concerned look as he saw her thinking. Booth could almost see the gears turning in his girlfriend's head.

"You don't like it?" Booth asked, attempting to hide the disappointment in his voice.

She snapped out of her reverie and smiled at him. "No, I love it! Where did you get this picture?"

"I saw some photographer at the game and asked him if I could see the pictures he had taken of us. This was one of them."

She thanked him, kissed him on the cheek and Hank announced it was time to get ready for church. He told Brennan she was invited, of course, but she didn't have to go. Brennan took a minute to think.

"I'll come," she said.

XXXXXXXXXX

Everything was going smoothly for Brennan during the service until the pastor gave his sermon about family. No matter how much Brennan considered Booth, Hank and Jared her family now, she couldn't help but think of her parents and brother. With silent tears streaming down her face, she excused herself from mass and sat out in the entry way. Booth followed.

"What's wrong?" Booth really didn't need to ask that. He knew as soon as Father began to talk about family, something was going to break inside of Brennan. He sat down on the bench next to her and pulled her close. She laid her head down on his lap and cried silently while Booth stroked her hair and rubbed her back, his only attempt to console a girl who would never truly heal.

XXXXXXXXX

That night, Hank fixed a large Christmas dinner for the four of them with fancy plates and place settings and all. It was a nice, relatively quiet meal, with some occasional chatting about the big upcoming game or Jared's schooling.

After dinner, Brennan and Booth volunteered to wash dishes while Hank and Jared put away all of the leftovers. Booth wanted to get done with dishes fast so he could eat the pie Hank had picked up from their favorite restaurant in downtown Philly. He sped along, scrubbing the dishes and quickly handed them to Brennan, who was drying at her own pace. Everyone was talking and laughing, telling stories about college or high school or past Christmases. Booth and Brennan were running a faux assembly line smoothly until Booth wasn't paying attention, too involved in a story, and passed Brennan a dish she wasn't ready for. It dropped to the ground and shattered.

All the color drained from Brennan's face. She quickly apologized and began to pick up the pieces in a hurried pace. Booth bent down to help her.

"It's my fault, Bren, let me do it," he gently wrapped his hand around her arm to help her up but she jerked away from him

"Don't touch me!" She screamed. Realizing who she was talking to and where she was, she ran off.

Booth tried to follow but Hank stopped him. "Shrimp, give her some room for a sec."

Booth, heaving a big sigh, nodded and returned to picking up the broken dish.

Hank found Brennan lying on the bed, facing away from the door in Booth's room. He sat on the edge of the bed and began to rub her back.

"Go away, Booth," she said through her tears.

"It's Hank, darlin'. I'm not going anywhere. Shh…It's okay. It's just a plate; it can be replaced,"

She didn't respond. After a few minutes, Brennan quieted down and sat up. She moved closer to Hank when he asked, "What did they do to you?"

"I broke a plate. They gave me fair warning. But the water was so hot and the soap was slippery. They warned me but I still broke the plate. It was on accident. They put me in the trunk of their car for two days. They warned me that would happen. It's like they were waiting for me to do that. They warned me but the water was so hot." Brennan let some more tears slip as soon as Hank pulled her into a tight hug.

As Hank released her, Booth appeared in the doorway. Hank stood up, gave Booth an encouraging slap on the back, and walked out. Booth sat down where Hank had previously been and pulled Brennan onto his lap. She rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"I'm not going to make you tell me whatever you told Pops. I don't need to know. I'll listen if you wanna tell me, but I'm not gonna force you. Just know that I'm here for you. Always."


	13. A picture heard 'round the world

**A/N: Before I forget to ask, does anyone know exactly what happened to Booth's dad? Did he go to jail, die, walk out, etc? I have a feeling he just walked out after Hank took over but I would like to know for sure. If anyone has any idea, please let me know. I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!**

**So I couldn't really figure out how to end this chapter. I hope it's not too lame or anything. I won't be posting tomorrow but I'll try to post something the day after. Sorry! :(**

**P.S.: I do not intend any infringement on the Big Ten conference, SEC, Northwestern Wildcats or the Alabama Crimson Tide. This is all for the fun of the story.**

XXXXXXXXXX

The Booth family (which now included Brennan) was getting ready to head to Miami. That's where the national title game was being held. Booth had to fly back to Chicago in order to fly to Miami with the team. Hank, Jared and Brennan were all flying from Philadelphia and meeting him there. The plane ride was relatively uneventful, just chock full of Jared making lame attempts at hitting on Brennan and Hank telling him to knock it off.

As they pulled up to their beach-front hotel, they could see a large group of football players in the distance on the beach. Hank walked up to the front desk as Brennan and Jared took a look around.

"Bren! Come here!" Jared shouted.

She walked over to him, struggling, as she was carrying some heavy luggage. "What?" she called out to him.

"Look what I found," he said. There was a giant pile of random suitcases and dozens of the same, large duffle bag, all with names, numbers, and the Wildcat logo stitched across the top.

"Booth's staying here?"

"Let's find his bag and do something with it!" Jared said, mischievously.

"No! Jared, leave it alone. You're going to get in trouble!" Brennan whispered to him. Before she knew it, Jared was in a headlock being taken down by his older brother.

"She's always right, you know. Bren's always right." Booth wrestled Jared to the ground and let him go. He then pulled Brennan into a deep kiss and only stopped when his buddies showed up and began to "Aww" at the couple.

"I can't hang out tonight, Bren. We got team meetings and we have practice in the morning. But we get free time all tomorrow afternoon. I'll see you then, 'kay?"

"Of course." Booth reluctantly let her go and he followed his teammates to the hotel conference room.

"Alright, kids, let's hit the sack. I'm exhausted. Jared, leave Seeley's bag alone!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Brennan slept in and was only woken up by Jared, who banged on the room's adjoining door. Hank had been nice enough to get a room just for Brennan so she could have her space from Jared. She just didn't know it had been at Booth's request to keep his little brother from his girl.

She put her swimsuit on and covered up with a tank top and jean shorts. Brennan pulled open the door connecting the rooms and sat down on the desk chair in Hank and Jared's room. Both men were almost ready and they soon left for the beach.

It was almost noon. Time for the Wildcats football team to be done with practice for the day. She was attempting to throw a football around with Jared while she waited for Booth to show up. She couldn't throw the perfect spiral like Booth did, but she was trying hard to imitate his throw the best she could. She kept looking over her shoulder, looking for Booth, every time she passed the ball back to Jared.

But, on the one pass where she didn't look behind her, Booth picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and ran into the water, with Brennan pounding his back and kicking her legs to let her down. He jumped into the water, pulling both of them under water.

They both jumped up out of the water, Brennan just a few seconds before Booth. She wiped the water out of her eyes, giving Booth a few seconds to breath before pushing him back underwater. She ran off, back onto dry land before Booth could pull her back under. Brennan was all dried off when Booth came running up the beach to where Hank, Jared and Brennan were all laughing at him.

They spent all day out on the beach. Brennan and Booth had wandered away from where Jared and Hank were hanging out and walked down the beach. Losing track of time, by the time they got back to the hotel, Booth's coach was waiting in the lobby.

"You broke curfew, son," the coach said to Booth, completely ignoring Brennan.

Booth didn't answer him. "Go upstairs, Bren. I'll see you tomorrow."

She just nodded and walked away. Brennan stood out of sight but wanted to listen to what was going to happen with Booth.

"Alright, son," she heard the coach say, "Pick your punishment. Run three extra miles in the morning before practice or five laps around the field with a linebacker on your back?"

"The three extra miles. Definitely. Sorry, Coach. It won't happen again."

"That your girlfriend?" His coach asked.

"Yeah, Coach. That was Bren."

His coach nodded and looked at Booth. "She a keeper?"

"Yes, sir. Definitely, sir."

"Good. Just don't break curfew again."

"No, sir, I won't."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A few days passed and day of the title game had arrived. The team was allowed to spend the morning with friends and family before heading to the stadium for the game.

Brennan, Booth, and Hank ate breakfast in the hotel's buffet area while Jared slept in. They sat in silence for a while until Booth broke the silence.

"Bren, wanna see my socks?"

She nodded and Booth lifted up the leg of his jeans to reveal the socks she gave him for Christmas. She beamed back at him.

"I asked Coach if I could wear them instead of the white socks but he told me I had to wear the white ones. I'm still gonna wear these under those though. I promise."

Brennan didn't say anything. She just smiled and Booth smiled back. Hank excused himself to go to the restroom and Booth took that opportunity to pull Brennan into a deep kiss.

She giggled. "What was that for?" she asked as he released her.

Booth shrugged. "You're my good luck charm. I need all the luck I can get before the game tonight. I mean, I have the socks and the medal but I need as much sugar as I can get."

Brennan laughed as she felt her cheeks turn red. Leaning over the breakfast table, she kissed him again. Booth moved his chair closer to hers and cupped her cheeks to pull her as close as possible. They were only interrupted by Hank, who gave Booth a gentle slap on the back of head. Brenna pulled away quickly and blushed again.

XXXXXXXXXX

The Miami night was oddly warm. Dressed in jeans and a Wildcat t-shirt, Brennan was becoming more and more anxious waiting for the game to start. Jared, Hank and Brennan all had their sideline passes hanging around their necks. They waited anxiously on the sideline with TV personnel and Wildcat staff members. The stadium was packed and there were plenty of Wildcat faithful fans in their student section and scattered all over the stands. The cheerleaders, mascot and dance team arrived, prepping their corner of the sidelines for hyping up the crowd.

Players were slowly coming out in packs to warm up. Linebackers, safeties, running backs, they all came out according to what they played and Brennan watched intensely, waiting for Booth to make his appearance.

All of the players came and went, except for Booth. Brennan, Hank and Jared began to worry that something was wrong. Was he not strong enough to play? Has his ankle not healed properly?

But, as soon as the team came out to do warm ups together, Brennan breathed a sigh of relief. Booth was leading the pack of players out to the field for warm ups. Jared snagged a trainer as he walked by to ask how his brother was doing.

"We taped his ankle more than we normally would. He should be fine though. We don't expect any problems with the ankle or knee," the trainer said. Jared was so happy he hugged the unexpecting trainer.

As kickoff time arrived, Booth was chosen to do the coin toss. The Wildcats lost the toss, which isn't always a bad thing. Alabama chose to receive the ball first. Booth ran back to the sideline and winked at Brennan. She cheered for him louder than Jared or Hank and kept asking them when it was Booth's turn to throw the ball.

The game was a high scoring one. Going into halftime, the Wildcats were down, the score 35-28. The Wildcats only needed one more touchdown to tie the game but everyone seemed depressed, like they had already lost the game. Brennan waited impatiently on the sideline for the marching bands to leave and the football players to come back, while Hank and Jared went to get something to eat.

The halftime clock ticked down and the Wildcat football team stormed the field. The crowd lit up again and the Crimson Tide came onto the field as well. Brennan booed the other team, but only quietly, to herself, so to her, it didn't seem like she was being mean.

Brennan noticed something different about Booth as he was running back out to do a few more stretches before halftime ended. Then she noticed the socks. He wasn't wearing the white socks anymore. Covering his shins and calves were the tie-dyed socks she had bought him for Christmas. Beaming, she brought the development to the attention to Jared and Hank.

As they were chatting, Booth ran over and tapped Brennan on the shoulder. She spun around right into the grass stained jersey. Looking up, she could barely see him through his helmet facemask.

"I told Coach I needed a change of luck, and he let me take of my white socks," Booth told her with a giant grin covering his face. He ripped off his helmet quickly as the halftime clock expired and stole a deep kiss from Brennan.

Saying nothing, he turned and ran back to the sideline to get ready for the next quarter. The Wildcats took control of the lead easily, but it was still a constant back and forth game. Booth's luck did seem to be turning around but, since Brennan didn't believe in luck, she knew it was pure talent that was showing.

The third quarter came and went, Booth still showing no lasting effects from his injury everyone thought would end him. The fourth quarter was tense, with the Crimson Tide taking a commanding lead about half way through. It became Booth's job to squash the Tide and their dreams of a national title.

With thirty seconds left in the game, the Wildcats were down by three points, needing a field goal to tie and a six point touchdown to win. Brennan, Hank and Jared could hear Booth's coach saying they were going all or nothing, no overtime, win it in regulation.

She noticed Booth said a little prayer and headed out to the line. They needed to go fifteen yards, without losing yards, a fumble, interception or anything negative like that. Brennan could almost hear her heart pounding in anticipation. Hank had a grip on Jared's arm, mainly to steady himself but also to use a shield in case something happened he couldn't stand to watch.

Booth had advanced the line just two yards shy of the end zone. But they only had three seconds left on the clock to get the win. Like the coach had said, no overtime. Booth's coach had faith in him that he would win the game.

Looking around, trying to read the play the Crimson Tide defense was setting up, Booth shouted out a play to his teammates, they made a few last second changes and Booth hiked the ball into motion. As the clock ran out, he passed the ball a mere six feet to Adam who was wide open in the end zone. He caught the ball.

"_TOUCHDOWN WILDCATS! WILDCATS WIN! WILDCATS WIN!"_

Brennan could barely hear the announcer. Wildcat students and fans had already started rushing the field, but since Brennan was already down on the sideline, she was out there first, beating some of the football players still on the sidelines.

There was a swarm of players and she soon had troubles finding Booth. She had to jump to see over the taller players.

"Bren!" She could hear him calling but she couldn't see him anywhere. But he found her first. Scooping her up, Booth gave her a long hug. He was laughing and it shook her as she hugged him back.

The press was surrounding them now, wanting to talk to Booth about throwing the game winning pass, but they ignored the media. Booth pulled Brennan through the crowd to find his granddad and his brother. They all hugged, rejoiced and congratulated the newly crowned champ. The press was still hovering, trying to get a word from the guy Wildcats fans called a hero. But, Booth wanted nothing to do with them.

"Aren't you going to talk to them?" Brennan asked, practically shouting over the ruckus.

Booth just grinned at her. Instead of answering her, he grabbed Brennan and pulled her into a kiss. He didn't care that that picture of them would be on every front page in the morning. And she was learning to let go of her inhibitions. Right then, everything was perfect for them.


	14. A love never experienced

**A/N: I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to everyone who gave me some background info on Booth's father. It should help me with the story. I just wanted to get everything right!**

XXXXXXXXXX

Hank and Jared parted ways with the couple not long after the game ended. They were both headed back to the hotel to sleep but Brennan and Booth wanted to anything but that. The team had scoped out a diner the night before and they were all headed there to have slices of celebratory pie as soon as the press conference was over.

After pie, Brennan and Booth went back to the beach. This late at night, the water was too cold to take a dip in but the sand was still warm from the sunshine earlier in the day. With his hand on the small of her back, he guided her around the shells and other debris close to the water. Booth was shaky, still floating on air from his come-from-behind victory. He was part of the best college football team in the country, a dream that could only be beaten by winning the Stanley Cup, something that probably wasn't going to happen. He was way better at football than he was at hockey.

There wasn't much talking, just some stolen glances and comfortable, peaceful silence, except for the waves. Tired from the game and the excitement, Booth plopped down in the sand and Brennan lay next to him.

Without warning, Booth positioned himself on top of her, kissing her soft lips slowly. Brennan didn't hesitate. She responded and rolled Booth onto his back. Knowing he was exhausted from the game, Brennan knew he shouldn't have to do all the work. Booth let his hands roam her body and Brennan did the same.

That was the first night they both discovered what it was like to really be in love with someone.

XXXXXXXXXXX

There was still a week and a half left of their winter break until they needed to get back to Chicago to start the next semester, so they all few back to Philly to spend some more time with Hank and Jared.

Hank made his famous grilled cheese every night.

"It's the Champ's favorite," Hank said, referring to Booth.

Jared and Booth taught both Hank and Brennan exactly what a "real handshake" should look like. Hank and Brennan were too confused for the fist bumps, high fives and all of that other stuff that just didn't make sense to them. Booth and Jared made up their own and they promised that Booth would teach Brennan and Jared would teach Hank, that way, they had their own special thing, just the four of them. The more time Brennan spent with the Booths, she finally realized what it was like to have a family.

But about a week before Brennan and Booth were to head back to Chicago on another long car ride, the door bell rang. All three guys were out in the back yard, struggling to keep the grill going in the harsh winter. Hank asked Brennan to get the door and she made her way to the front of the house.

Brennan opened the door to reveal a man in his late thirties or early forties.

"Hi, can I help you?" Brennan asked. Looking the man over, she thought she recognized him. There was something about his bone structure she found strikingly similar to…

"Oh, I guess my old man doesn't live here anymore. Unless he got some sort of caretaker or maid or something," the man said looking her over.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Hank Booth. He around or did he finally croak?"

Brennan suddenly became suspicious of the man.

"May I ask who you are?" She wanted to be polite, and not piss off an abusive alcoholic.

"I'm Joseph Booth. Hank's son."

She slammed the door in his face and ran to the back door.

"Who was it, Bren?" Hank asked.

"Booth, I…It was, uh…I don't know…Should I…It's your dad."

All three men stopped what they were doing and looked up at her. They did their best to control their anger in front of her. Hank moved toward the front of the house first, but Booth beat him to it and stormed though the house and to the front door. He flung the door open to see his old man for the first time in a decade.

"Seeley? What are you doing here?" Joseph asked.

Booth didn't respond. He was trying to control his anger. Brennan, Hank and Jared were all standing in the living room, watching the exchange.

Booth's hand balled up into a fist, he brought it back and landed it right in his father's face, simultaneously breaking Joseph's nose. He fell to the ground and Booth shook his hand like he was trying to shake the pain out of it. Hank stepped in front of him, pushed Booth back into the house and shut the door.

XXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: Okay, I know, I know, crappy place to leave off and I know it's **_**so **_**short but I need to rest my muse. She's been on a bit of overload lately and needs to take a break. I hope you guys like the chapter. Let me know what you think!**


	15. An avoidable encounter

"Booth! Are you okay? Let me look at your hand. If you broke it, Coach is going to be so mad," Brennan warned him.

Booth didn't reply. He sat down on the couch and put his hand on Brennan's lap. She looked it over, poked and prodded a little bit, but decided his hand was fine.

"What is he doing here? We haven't seen him in years!" Jared said.

Hank shook his head and looked out the window. Joseph was sitting on the stoop, tending to his broken nose. Hank made his way to the door and was about to open it when Booth stopped him.

"Pops, we don't need to involve Bren in this anymore than we already have. Let him go. Or at least let me take Bren somewhere else and you and Jared can take care of this."

Brennan began to get angry. "I am involved. If you're involved, so am I. I can take care of myself. If he comes after you, or me, I can handle it. You're looking at a product of the Illinois foster system. I can handle whatever he dishes out."

Surprised by her little speech, no one fought her on that matter anymore.

"So what are we going to do? Invite him in for dinner?" Jared asked sarcastically.

"I'm going to go out and ask him what he wants. You three…just…stay here. Seeley, back me up if I need it. Jared, I don't need you going back to school looking like you got mugged," Hank commanded.

Hank walked to the door and opened it.

"Thanks, Bren. You being here right now…Thanks," Booth told her, his eyes following Hank the entire time. Booth stood up and watched out the window. Whatever Hank was saying to his son was muffled. Blood was still gushing from Joseph's nose and Booth admired his handiwork.

Both his father and the man who raised him looked up to see Booth and Brennan staring at them out the window. Joseph handed Hank a newspaper, said something and started to walk off.

Booth made his way to the door. "Pops? What is it?"

Hank walked up and handed him the paper. On the front page was a picture of Booth, hoisting the championship trophy into the air with the headline, _Injured star quarterback wins in last seconds._

"He wanted to tell you that he was proud of you. I told him to stay away from you and your brother. He doesn't deserve to talk to either of you. Sober or not," Hank said.

They watched Joseph walk down the sidewalk, blood still dripping from his nose.

"Alright, Pops. It's over. Let's go make sure Jared hasn't made a move on my girl yet," Booth told him, escorting his grandfather into the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Bren, come on, we gotta get there early!" Booth was pacing in the living room. He had is favorite Flyers jersey on.

"Does the shirt I got you fit?" Hank added.

"Yes, Hank, it's fine. And, Booth, you need to be patient," Brenna said as she emerged from Booth's bedroom.

He shook his head at her and guided her out the door.

They made it to the ice rink an hour and a half early. They got there just at the right time. Taking their seats just behind the Flyers bench, the players came out from the locker rooms and began to warm up. Booth watched them skate around and shoot the puck at their own goaltender, giddy with excitement.

"Booth, why didn't you play hockey in college instead of football? You seem to love it way more," she observed.

"Well, Pops couldn't afford all of the equipment. Getting bigger meant getting bigger pads and skates and paying for leagues constantly and since the school provided the football pads it was easier on Pops financially," he told her.

She nodded, wondering if she would even know him had he played hockey instead of football. Brennan didn't want to think about losing out on the best thing that had ever happened to her.

The stadium filled and the hockey rink was soon surrounded by the orange and black team colors and becoming louder and louder as fans cheered for their team.

Unknown to them, Booth had become a kind of hometown hero in Philadelphia ever since he won the championship game. Brennan noticed people staring, whispering, and pointing at Booth.

"Uh, Booth? People are staring at you," Brennan whispered in his ear. Booth turned around and people began cheering for him instead of the Flyers. He waved to everyone, putting on his mature, big-time football player persona.

She smiled at him, knowing he felt embarrassed whenever he was praised publically for something. He looked back at her, attempting to block out his newly acquired fans.

The game started and Booth had forgotten his embarrassment. Barely two minutes into the game, the Flyers scored and as soon as the puck crossed the goal line, the air horn blew and Brennan jumped out of her skin. She didn't expect the horn, sirens or amount of cheering the fans would do. Booth was jumping, yelling, and pounding on the plexiglass barrier between them and the players' bench.

The first period was ending and Booth's favorite team was winning. There was an intermission and some of the sports networks took that opportunity to interview Booth about his recent victory over Alabama. Brennan shied away from the camera and let Booth have his moment in the spotlight. He was polite to the sportscasters, but always kept glancing to the ice or back to Brennan, attempting to give the subtle hint that he was busy and wasn't in the mood to be interrupted. They all kept the interview relatively short after realizing what he was getting at.

After one sportscaster ended her interview, he asked, "I'm sorry, but would you mind taking a picture of me and my girl?" He took out a disposable camera from his pocket and grabbed Brennan by the waist, pulling her closer to him. She tried to protest but he told her to pipe down and smile. The sportscaster snapped one quickly, shoved the camera back in his hand and took off.

"We weren't ready yet!" he shouted at her, but she was too far away to hear over the fans beginning to cheer as the second period started.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The game ended and the Flyers won, making Booth the happiest he had been since the night of the title game. They took the disposable camera to a twenty-four hour drugstore to get it developed. Luckily, someone was still working the photo station and the pictures would be ready to pick up in an hour.

So they drove around, passing time, laughing and joking.

"I don't wanna go back to school!" Brennan suddenly said.

Booth looked surprised at this. "Are you sick or something? You love school."

"I'm just having so much fun here. I like Philadelphia. It's nice. Better than Burtonsville."

"Burtonsville?"

"Where I went to high school. I hated it there."

Booth decided not to push the subject. They slowly made their way back to the drugstore and picked up the pictures.

Brennan pulled them out of their sleeve once back in the car and flicked through them.

"Booth, there's pictures on here from Miami," she told him.

"Yeah, Pops only took a few pictures at the game so I just took it to the hockey game to finish it off. Maybe there are some pictures we can put in your frame."

She looked through them carefully. They were just pictures of her and Booth after the game. There was one of them hugging, one of them kissing and another one of them from the day on the beach when Booth dragged Brennan into the water. The rest were random pictures Booth had taken at the Flyers game.

Since the camera was just a disposable and not a high quality one, most of the pictures he took of the players on the ice were blurry. There were a few decent pictures of the players on the bench and only one of the both of them. The sportscaster couldn't have cared less when taking the picture. The background was fuzzy and the couple wasn't even looking at the camera. They were staring at each other, faces just inches apart.

"Hey," Booth said, looking away from the road for a split second, "I like that picture. That one's going in your frame."

"Well, it kind of has to," she reasoned, "you already labeled one of the slots for a Flyers game."

They arrived back to Pops' house and had issues deciding which picture to put in the slot Booth had previously labeled for the title game. Brennan let Booth decide and he chose the picture of them hugging in the middle of the field.

"Now, you just have to come back for a Phillies game. You will come for a baseball game, right?" he clarified.

"Of course," she answered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brennan and Booth made it back to their dorms two days before the next semester was supposed to start back up again. When they both arrived to Brennan's room, Maggie was in the process of packing things up.

"Maggie? What's going on?" Brennan asked her roommate.

"Oh, Temperance, I'm so glad your back. Okay, I'm moving down the hall to live with my bestie! I don't hate you, I promise. It's just that Sarah and I were supposed to room together in the first place but the housing department messed up. Don't worry, we'll still be friends," she told Brennan with an enthusiastic smile.

Brennan just nodded and she and Booth began to unpack her things. Maggie told her that a transfer girl would be moving in later that night. After Booth and Brennan put everything away in her room, they made their way over to Booth's room to begin unpacking his things. They then took the rental car back to the company and took a cab back to Brennan's residence hall.

When they walked in, there were boxes scattered everywhere. They weren't Maggie's boxes; Maggie had finished moving out as Brennan finished unpacking from her trip to Philadelphia.

She looked around. There was an easel with a blank canvas perched on it. Containers full of paints and brushes were stacked everywhere.

_Art student,_ Brennan thought, _Hope she's not too odd._

"Whoa," Booth said upon seeing all of the boxes, "I hope there's enough room for all of her stuff. It's not like these rooms are huge or anything."

Brennan just nodded.

"Hi!" They heard a voice from the door.

Brennan and Booth turned around to see a tall, brunette girl standing in the doorway.

"I'm your new roommate. I'm Angela."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: Hey everyone, I am SO sorry for not being able to update sooner. My laptop has been on the fritz and I had to move out of my dorm which was a debacle in itself. Things are going to be pretty hectic for me in the next few days so I'll write and post when I can. Hope you guys like this chapter. Let me know what you think!**


	16. An ex to stir things up

"Hi, I'm Temperance Brennan. This is my…uh…boyfriend, Seeley Booth," Brennan introduced them to her new roommate.

"I thought you hated titles?" Booth whispered in her ear. Brennan ignored him and stepped forward and stuck out her hand for a shake.

Instead, Angela pulled her into a hug and then hugged Booth. Brennan and Booth both looked at each other, not quite impressed yet with the touchy-feely art student.

They sat and talked for a while about themselves in order to get to know each other a little better. Angela told them she transferred from the University of Texas. "I love Texas, but my dad scared off all of the boys and some of my girl friends," she told them. She was desperately in love with a curly headed, bearded Biology major named Jack who wasn't sure if he wanted to transfer so she broke it off. She kept telling Brennan how jealous she was of her for having such a good looking boyfriend who was always by her side. Booth blushed.

They helped Angela unpack and get everything settled.

"Now, I don't mind if he's here all the time. I can definitely get used to looking at him. But just let me know if you guys want…some…alone time. I get it. A girl needs to satisfy those urges every once in a while. Just let me know if you want me to make myself scarce," Angela told them, making both Brennan and Booth blush this time.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Classes started up and Booth began struggling as soon as he was assigned homework. Brennan agreed to keep tutoring him though the football team's academic program designed to help struggling players. They were sitting in the library one afternoon, working on one of Booth's new classes, psychology.

"Okay, I'll admit, sometimes, I don't understand these concepts," Brennan said, reading Booth's psychology textbook, "Some of this stuff doesn't make sense. Anthropologically speaking-" Booth cut her off.

"Bren, I don't want to do this, but maybe I should get a tutor who understands psychology."

"No, Booth, I'll figure this out. Just give me a minute." Brennan pushed her own homework aside and delved deep into the psychology lesson. Over an hour later, Brennan slammed the textbook shut.

"What's wrong?" Booth asked.

"Get another tutor. I don't understand it," she said, frustration and disappointment evident in her voice.

"Just for psychology. I still want you to help me with all these math and science classes," he promised.

She smiled at him, hoping whoever would be his psychology tutor was either a guy or an ugly girl. Brennan wasn't normally the jealous type, but then again, she hadn't had a boyfriend before.

XXXXXXXXXXX

A few days later, Brennan and Booth were sitting on the futon in his room, cuddled up and watching TV. It was only mid afternoon but Brennan was fast asleep, curled against Booth's chest. There was a knock on the door. Booth attempted to move Brennan off of him without waking her up.

"What's going on?" She asked, rousing from her sleep.

"My new tutor's here," he said, simultaneously shutting off the TV, "Go take a nap in your room. Once I'm done, I'll come over and we can go catch some dinner."

Brennan nodded and took her time gathering her things. She wanted to see who the new tutor was. Booth opened the door to reveal his new tutor. She was blonde, tall and had the muscular legs of a dancer.

"Rachel?" Booth was stunned to see his ex-girlfriend standing in the door way.

"Hi, Seeley," Rachel smiled at him.

"You're my psych tutor?"

She nodded and brushed past him, inviting herself into his room. "Oh, who's this?" she asked.

"That's Bren, she's my girlfriend," Booth told her, emphasizing the title to show Rachel that he's taken. If he remembered anything about this girl, she had a knack for flirting with guys who were unavailable.

Rachel just nodded and then pretended like Brennan didn't even exist. "Come here, Seeley. Come sit next to me," Rachel said, patting the spot next to her on the futon, "We need to start studying. This is going to take all night." She seductively drew out the last two words despite the fact that Brennan was still in the room.

Brennan looked between Booth and his ex. Without a word, she threw her backpack over her shoulder and walked out of Booth's room.

Defeated, Booth sat on the futon as far from Rachel as he could. She pulled out her textbook and moved closer to him.

"So…You understand psychology?" Booth questioned, not exactly sure what to say to her.

Rachel just nodded and leaned closer. She could smell him now and he smelled better than he did in high school. He was hotter too. Booth looked Rachel over. She was taller and blonder than she had been the last time he saw her.

"Look, are you going to help me study or not?" Booth asked her, snapping out of Rachel's spell. He wasn't one of those guys who had a relationship behind his girlfriend's back. Booth would never do that to Bren. He was desperately in love with her.

"I've missed you, Seeley," Rachel whispered, "No one ever treated me better than you did."

She lunged at him, attempting to plant her lips on his. She missed. Booth stood up and Rachel followed suit.

"You need to leave," Booth said loudly while he walked to open the door. He stood there with one hand on the handle.

She glared at him, grabbed her bag and textbook and stormed out the door. Realizing that Brennan had left in a somewhat similar manner, Booth slipped on a pair of shoes, pocketed his wallet, and ran to Brennan's room.

XXXXXXXXXX

Brennan walked into her room, slammed the door and climbed up into her lofted bed.

"Sweetie?" Her new roommate called out, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, muffled by her pillow.

"Hon, I know fine. You are not fine right now. You wanna talk it out or are you just gonna cry into your pillow all afternoon?"

Brennan sat straight up, knocking her head on the ceiling. She winced but ignored the new scrape on her forehead from the textured ceiling. "I am not crying. I am…" She searched for the right word for what she was feeling but failed to produce.

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" Angela offered.

Brennan slowly made her way down from her bed and sat at her desk. Angela pulled her desk chair over and sat close to her new friend.

"Booth's exgirlfriend is his new tutor," Brennan announced.

Angela smiled. "You…are jealous," she informed Brennan.

"What? No, I'm not."

Angela nodded. "So you're not his tutor anymore?"

Brennan shook her head. "She's just his psychology tutor. I fail to see the importance of such a trivial subject. There is no anthropological importance for mind reading."

"Sweetie, psychology is more than just mind reading."

Brennan ignored Angela's statement but rebutted with, "I am not jealous."

"Whoa, we got off that train, Bren."

Brennan looked confused. "We've been in here this whole time. We were never on a train."

"It's a figure of speech, sweetie. I think you need to talk to Booth about why you don't want his ex to be his tutor."

"Neither one of us get to pick who his tutor is. The tutoring program the athletic department has set up picks for him," she informed Angela.

"Well maybe both of his tutors help him at the same time. That way, you can make sure this chick doesn't make a move on your man," Angela suggested.

Brennan shrugged. "I'm just going to take a nap. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Angela rolled her eyes and stood up. "Alright, sweetie, if you wanna chat, I'm just gonna paint so I'm not going anywhere."

Brennan noticed that Angela had practically turned their room into an art studio. There was a dirty sheet covering the floor under her easel, paint cans and brushes taking up every nook that Brennan hadn't previously occupied. Brennan didn't mind. As she lay in her bed, Brennan listened to Angela's brush strokes on the canvas and found the noise to be soothing. She fell asleep rather quickly but was woken up not long after by someone pounding on the door.

"Bren!" Booth yelled, bursting into Angela and Brennan's room, "Let's go to dinner."

"Whoa there, cowboy," Angela came to Brennan's defense, "She's not too happy with you right now. Maybe you should come back later."

Booth became defensive right back. "I didn't do a damn thing. I didn't even know Rachel went to school here," Booth turned away from Angela and pulled himself up onto Brennan's bed, "Come on, love, we'll talk about this over dinner."

Brennan sat up in bed again, this time slower than the first to avoid what happened to her head. She looked between Angela and Booth in order to decide what to do. Angela had a look on her face that said 'talk to him, but make sure he knows who he belongs to' and Booth's face said 'I'm sorry, let's work on this'.

"Diner or Thai food?" she asked Booth. Booth perked up at her response.

Giving her a lopsided smile, he said, "Thai, but the diner for dessert."


	17. A forever to be desired

Their Thai dinner was quiet but the couple ate in a comfortable silence, only speaking to the waiter or to each other about simple things, like drinks or how the food tasted. When dinner was over, Booth helped her up and placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her out the door. Once outside, Booth placed a small kiss on her temple as they began to walk down the street toward the diner.

"Booth, stop," Brennan said, coming to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk.

"What? You okay?"

She nodded. Booth began to get nervous, though he wasn't sure why.

"I'm sorry," Brennan spit out.

Booth's face gained the look he has when he doesn't understand a new anthropology concept and when she noticed this Brennan smiled at him. She touched his cheek, rubbing her thumb against the growing stubble. She then pulled his lips to hers, giving him a soft kiss to get rid of the confused look. Booth didn't take long to respond. He kissed her back and the kiss became more frantic. She ended the kiss she initiated but didn't move her face far from his.

"I was…jealous," she admitted, "It's stupid and irrational but I saw the way she looked at you. It reminded me of the way a lioness would look at her prey."

Booth's body shook as he chuckled silently. "What Rachel and I had ended forever ago. That was high school. Back when all I wanted was someone to hold hands with in the movie theater. College is different. What I want now…is completely different. I'm looking for forever here."

Brennan blushed and hoped she could be his forever.

XXXXXXXXXX

Booth sleepily rolled over one Thursday morning to an unusually empty bed. He and Brennan had been casually taking turns spending the night in each other's room. It depended on where they were when they realized they both were exhausted. This morning, Booth woke up in Brennan's bed. He could hear Angela's gentle brush strokes across the canvas and he knew he wasn't alone. Flipping over, he heard paper crumple. Going back to his original position, he noticed a small sheet of paper where Brennan should've been laying.

_B,_

_Went to class. Sleep in as long as you want. If you ever wake up, meet me outside my classroom for lunch at the diner. If you're late, no pie. _

_-B_

He smiled and climbed down from Brennan's bed in a hurry.

"Hey there, Hot stuff," Angela greeted him.

Booth smiled at his girlfriend's roommate and gathered his things. "Come back soon, Studly! I could stare at that all day…"

After leaving Brennan's room, he went back to his dorm room to clean up and head to the anthropology building. He arrived almost a half hour early. He peeked into the window of Brennan's classroom. Booth could see his girlfriend scribbling her notes furiously on her notebook. Knowing he would still have a while to wait, especially if she talked to her professor after class.

Booth wandered around the anthropology building to waste some time while he waited for his girlfriend. He walked up countless flights of stairs walked down numerous twisting hallways and soon realized he was lost.

Booth attempted to retrace his steps but soon found himself walking up a flight of stairs that he thought led to nowhere. The stairs ended at a small door labeled _**Anthropology Faculty Only**_.

Of course, his curiosity piqued and Booth needed to know what was behind that door. He twisted the knob and it opened for him. The door didn't open all the way, however. It was blocked by a wall of cubby holes used for storage that reminded him of his preschool and kindergarten days. The cubby holes lined the wall all the way up to the ceiling, the upper boxes being used for storage. Had the cubby holes not been there, the door probably would've opened all the way. He stepped in the room and shut the door behind him. The walls were oddly close together, making some sort of narrow hallway that ended in a dim, flickering light. Booth continued to make his way down the hall and toward the light. It ended and opened up into a large room with tall ceilings that seemed to never end. There were drawers with small windows lining each wall. He walked up to a drawer that hadn't been completely closed. The nametag on it said **Specimen #13402 Discovered in Ethiopia**. He pulled the drawer out, revealing all of its contents. It was a full skeleton, the skull obviously not the same species as him. Realizing what he had stumbled upon, Booth ran out in a hurry, though not out of worry or fear that he would get caught. He needed to show Bren what he had discovered. He made sure to remember exactly the path he took to find that staircase when he reached Brennan's classroom. It was empty now, except Brennan and her professor, who were discussing that day's lesson. Booth impatiently tapped his foot, waiting for her.

Brennan soon saw him and prematurely ended her conversation with her professor after noticing Booth's excited expression.

"What's going on? You seem to have beetles in your shorts."

"Bren, its ants in your pants. And yeah, I found something you need to see. You are going to flip," Booths said, taking her hand and pulling her toward the staircase.

"What about lunch?" Brennan asked.

"It can wait. Bren, you are going to freak out like a kid in a candy store."

"I don't know what that means."

"That doesn't matter. Trust me, I found something and you are going to go wild!"

XXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: Hey there, sorry about the lag in updates. So after I posted another story (Speed Dating), I got an incredible response about doing a sequel or making it a multi chapter fic. So I'm going to be alternating updates. I'll update that one tomorrow and it'll go back and forth after that. But…I need some help. I'm running low on ideas for this story and I don't want it to run dry without finishing it. I have an idea but that would require a major jump in time. Let me know what you think, guys! Thanks :)**


	18. An unexpected surprise

"Booth, where are we going?" Brennan said, attempting to keep up with him. Booth was bounding up the stairs, skipping two or three at a time.

"Just follow me!"

"Booth, there's not much up here besides classrooms."

He looked over his shoulder at her. "Trust me, Bren, there's something up here that you need to see." Booth kept running up the stairs, but this time, hitting each step. They made their way up toward the top floor of the anthropology building. Booth led them back to the same door he had found earlier.

"Booth, we can't be in here! We're not part of the anthropology faculty! Booth!" Brennan shouted at him as he opened the door. Again, it only opened a fraction of the way and Brennan practically ran right into the giant wall of cubby holes.

"What is this place?" She asked as Booth led her down the narrow passageway.

"Just look!" he whispered. He guided her into the large open space with the drawer-lined walls.

"Booth, this is…restricted area…how did you…do you know what's in here?"

He nodded. "Well, not really. What's in here?"

"This," she said, opening the drawer that Booth had partially left opened, "is Homo rhodesiensis!" Brennan had a giant grin on her face.

Booth beamed down at her. "I don't know what that means but I'm just glad you like it."

She nodded. "We really shouldn't be here but this is just so…fascinating."

"Ms. Brennan?"

Booth and Brennan whipped around to see who was there.

"Professor Stires, I'm sorry…" Brennan began.

Her professor shook his head. "Temperance, not to worry. I'm glad to see you're so enthusiastic about unique anthropological finds."

Brennan was speechless. She had never seen a real Homo rhodesiensis before. She had studied them in her Introduction to Prehistory class and had taken several other anthropology courses that mentioned the species but to see a real specimen like this close up was unreal to her.

"Technically, you shouldn't be in here but I'm not going to tell. We'll just keep this between us?" Stires prompted.

Brennan nodded.

"Well, Bren, you know, I bet you're starving! Come on! I can hear the diner calling," Booth interrupted. Booth wasn't thrilled about the way her professor was looking at her.

"Booth, even you should know that the diner can't call anything…oh, you weren't being…serious…" Brennan trailed off, still not focusing on either her professor or her boyfriend.

"Tempe, you don't have to leave. Take your time. Look around. Just make sure your…uh, friend…doesn't touch anything," Stires said, keeping his eyes on Brennan.

"He's my boyfriend. He knows better than that. Booth found this place and he thought I'd like it."

The professor nodded. "Tempe, you can put the body on the exam table if you'd like," Stires offered.

Brennan slid the drawer shut. "Thanks, Professor, but can I take you up on that offer another time? I promised Booth we'd go to lunch now."

Stires smiled and walked away. "Come on, I'm hungry," Booth said, leading her toward the door. She looked over her shoulders at the drawers lining the walls, full of links to evolutionary chain, something Brennan was desperate to learn more about.

"Who was that guy?" Booth asked as they made their way down the stairs.

"Oh, that was Professor Stires. He is one of my professors. He has already offered to be my doctoral advisor when I get to that step. He says I show an extraordinary amount of potential."

"Really? Oh well, of course you do. It's just that…well, they way he was looking at you…you know, I thought that…" Booth put a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it nervously.

"What, that Dr. Stires and I…No, jeez, Booth, I'm with you," Brennan looked up at him and smiled.

"Oh, and another thing, I thought you didn't like titles? You know, like boyfriend-girlfriend stuff?" Booth questioned.

Brennan shrugged. "I guess I don't mind it too much. Plus, it's easier when explaining who we are to each other."

"Well…good," Booth said, pulling Brennan close to his side.

XXXXXXXXXX

The weekend arrived and Booth welcomed it with open arms. It was his last weekend before spring practices started and he was dreading spending less time with Brennan. The pair practically relied on each other for everything. Homework, food, naps, if one was gone, it didn't happen for the other.

Booth planned a long weekend full of fun things to do. He wanted to get in as many dates and chances to hang out with best friend and girlfriend before football consumed his life again. He decided to pull a Brennan and finish all of his homework on Friday night so he could be completely free over the weekend.

"So what are we doing tomorrow?" Brennan asked, shutting her cultural anthropology textbook.

"Whatever you want to do," Booth answered her. He leaned back on the futon and waited for her response.

"I want you to teach me to throw a circle," she stated. Booth looked confused and then realized what she was asking.

"You want me to teach you how to throw a _spiral_? Not a circle, Bren."

She nodded, mentally correcting herself for future reference. "Yes, I want to throw like you do during games and such. It's quite impressive and people seem to get happy when it has a smooth spin to it. I'd like to learn."

"Are you sure? You really wanna learn how to throw a football?" Booth sat forward and put his elbows on his thighs, leaning closer to Brennan.

"Yes, why is that so hard to believe?"

He sighed. "Because, Bren, this is something you have to really practice. It's not some anthropology thing. You have to practice football. You're not just going to go out there and succeed like you do at everything else."

"Well…maybe I'll surprise you. Maybe I'll be better at it than you think," Brennan said optimistically, smiling at Booth. He smiled back.

"I hope for both our sakes you are better than I think."

XXXXXXXXX

Brennan packed a picnic lunch for them, or well, the waitress at the diner packed their lunch to-go and they sat in the park and ate lunch.

"Remember that first time you tutored me?" Booth said, his mouth full of sandwich, "We sat right here and you made me memorize the basic anthropological concepts!"

Brenan smiled at him. "Of course I remember. So are you going to teach me how to throw a football or not?"

"Can I eat first?" Booth said with his mouth full again.

She nodded and kept eating her salad but ate quickly. She was ready to prove that she was good at anything she tried.

Booth noticed she was eating at a faster pace than normal and finished his sandwich swiftly.

"Okay, Bren, let's try this," Booth said. He picked up his football and jogged a short distance from her. She followed.

"No, Bren, go back to where we were. I'm going to throw it to you, you'll catch it and throw it back, okay?" Booth told her when he realized she was right behind him.

Brennan nodded and ran back to their previous spot.

"Ready?" Booth shouted.

"Ready!" Brennan called back.

He lobbed a perfect spiral pass through the air and hit her square in the face, knocking her off her feet.

"Shit. Bren! You're supposed to catch it, not just watch it!" He said, running back toward her.

She rubbed her nose, making sure it wasn't broken and shook it off.

"I'm fine, Booth, really. I wasn't paying attention. I was watching your form and follow through on your pass," she told him.

"Just be careful. I don't want to be responsible for giving you a crooked nose," he warned. "You throw it back this time."

She retrieved the ball and attempted to recreate Booth's exact throwing form. She launched the ball and it landed almost three feet in front of her.

"Try it again, just release the ball a bit quicker," Booth called out, hoping the criticism didn't sound too harsh.

Brennan nodded and picked up the ball again. She followed Booth's instructions and threw the ball to him. It made it to him but it wasn't the spiral form she was hoping for.

She growled with frustration.

"Bren, it's okay. You don't have to get it perfect right away!"

Brennan ignored him and waited for the return throw. She caught the ball in a less than graceful manner but at least she was still on her feet.

"Hold on, don't throw it. Let me show you something."

Booth jogged back to her and placed the ball in her hands like she was attempting a throw.

"Okay, now the trick is to put your last three fingers," he took her pinky, ring and middle fingers in his hand, "and place them between the laces. That helps line up the throw. Okay, let me back up and then throw it."

Booth ran back to his spot and hollered for Brennan to throw him the ball. She released it, giving it a bit of a spiral. It began to wobble as it reached Booth but she had a hopeful look on her face.

"That was awesome, Bren!" Booth threw it back and she caught it with a bit more confidence this time.

After a few more throws, Brennan had her throw almost perfected. The sun began to set and the couple made their way back to Brennan's dorm room.

They walked in and Angela all but attacked them.

"Sweetie, there was some guy who came by and he said he was your brother! I told him, no way, Jose, there is no way sweet little Bren has a brother. I told him, I'd know if she had a brother. He left but he said he was coming back. He was cute, in a creepy stalker way, but I just thought you should know. Someone is going around campus saying he's your brother." Angela walked away and went back to her painting.

"Russ…" Brennan breathed.

"Bren, you okay? I mean, this is good, right?" Booth attempted to comfort her.

"I thought…I just assumed he was…dead. I…what…does that mean…mom…" Brennan could barely breathe.

"Come on, let's just sit down and I'll get you a glass of water." Booth helped her to a chair and sat her down. He brought her a glass of water and put it in her shaky hands. She sipped it and set it down on her desk.

There was a knock on the door and Angela got up to answer it.

A tall, brown haired man invited himself into the room, practically pushing Angela out of the way.

"Tempe, I've missed you," Russ blurted.

Brennan couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was confused. Brennan was thrilled that he was alive but incredibly furious for leaving her.

"Get out, Russ. Get out."


	19. A broken heart again

"Get out, Russ. Get out," Booth growled at the older man.

Russ was confused. "Who are you?" he yelled at Booth, "You have no right to talk to me like that. She's my sister and I'll talk to her if I want."

"Russ, can I talk to you out in the hall?" Brennan finally said. The three other people in the room looked surprised but no one stopped her from getting up from her chair and dragging her older brother out into the dorm hallway. They stared at each other for a few minutes, Brennan not believing her older brother was really there and Russ getting a good look at his healthy, happy baby sister.

She hugged him unexpectedly but he returned the hug.

Breaking away, she said, "You can't just show up and expect everything to be okay again."

"I know, Tempe. How are you?"

"I'm fine. You?"

"Same. You…haven't heard from Mom or Dad, have you?" Brennan didn't know how to take that question. Either he had and he didn't want her to know or he hadn't and was hoping she had.

"No, have you?" Brennan asked hopefully.

Russ shook his head.

Brennan thought long and hard about what to say next.

"You can't stay here, Russ."

He nodded. "I know, Tempe. I was driving through Chicago on my way to Cali. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

"How did you find me? Burtonsville is a long way from here. Where have you been, anyway?"

"I've been in Maine. Trying my hand at lobster catching. Not for me. Headin' to Cali. See if I can find some work out in Hollywood or something. But I saw this," he said, taking a newspaper clipping out of his back pocket. It was a photo from Booth's title game. It was of the two of them, hugging and celebrating. "Once I knew what school you went to, I found the student directory and it had which dorm you were in. He seems like a good man. I'm glad you've found someone."

Brennan nodded and kept staring at the clipping. She handed it back to Russ and he stuffed it back into his pocket.

"I gotta go. I'm riding with some guys and they're waiting outside. Take care, okay?"

She nodded again and hugged him.

"Bye, Russ."

"Bye, Tempe."

She watched him walk away and out of her life again. Just like that, he was in and out. Like he was never there in the first place.

She went back into her room, Booth and Angela waiting in silence for her to return.

"Bren, you okay?" Angela broke the silence.

Brennan looked up at her, nodded slowly and ran to Booth. She hugged him, barely getting her small arms around his built frame.

"He left. Again," she whispered.

"I know, babe, I know," Booth said as he pressed a kiss to her head.

She cried as Booth rocked her gently, his consoling moves doing nothing for her broken heart.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The spring semester was almost over and finals week was upon them once again. Booth and Brennan were ready for the long trek back to Philadelphia. She had been invited by all three Booth men to spend the summer there and she was more than grateful.

Brennan was helping Booth study for his elementary statistics course when there was, yet again, a knock on the door.

Angela got up to answer it. She pulled open the door and squealed in delight. Brennan and Booth looked at each other, neither saw who was at the door.

Angela flung her arms around the mysterious guest and pulled him into the room.

"Bren, Studly, I'd like you to meet Jack, he's my…uh…"

"Ex-boyfriend. From UT," Jack finished for her. He stuck his hand out and Booth and Brennan both shook it, introducing themselves.

"You're a Longhorn?" Booth questioned darkly, releasing his hand.

"I'm not all that into sports. So, sure, I guess. You look familiar."

"He should," Angela told him, "He's the Wildcat quarterback!"

"Oh yeah! Damn, that was a good game, man! That was the one game I did watch. Nice job, man!"

Booth smiled his thanks. They all sat and talked for a while before Jack and Angela went out for dinner.

With the room to themselves, Booth gained a mischievous grin.

"You know, Bren, they're gone…" He waited for her to fill in the blanks.

"Yes, Booth, keep studying. You need at least an A- in your stats course to keep that A," she said, not looking up from her notes.

He got off the futon and stood in front of her. She didn't look up at him but instead said, "What are you doing?"

Booth grabbed her hand and pulled her up. She was now standing in front of him and Booth went in for a hungry, manic kiss. She didn't hesitate or think twice about her coming finals the next day. Booth pulled back a few minutes later. Saying nothing, he climbed up to her lofted bed. She followed close behind and as soon as she comfortably up in her bed, Booth said, voice husky and deeper than normal, "Come here. Let me have my way with you." She giggled and lay down. Booth pounced on top of her, ripping the clothes from the both of them as fast as he could. When every article of clothing was on the floor some six feet below them, Booth pulled her sheets over their heads and had his way with her, making her giggle and moan.

XXXXXXXXXXX

After finals were over, Booth and Brennan packed up a move-it-yourself truck and took off for his hometown. They arrived later that night and were welcomed by Hank and Jared. They took what they needed inside after deciding to unpack everything else tomorrow.

The couple lay in Booth's bed, talking the night away, unable to fall asleep.

"I'm glad I'm here, Booth. Thank you for letting me stay."

"You don't need to thank me. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't' here this summer."

Booth rolled over and pulled her close, tucking an arm around her stomach, his chest to her back.

"I love you," she whispered.

He smiled, kissed her shoulder and whispered, "I love you too. Get ready for a fun summer."

**A/N: Sorry for such a long lapse in updates. I've had the finale on my mind since it aired and I needed to get those stories out of my system. By the way, the story's about to have a giant time jump so be prepared. Let me know what you think!**


	20. A family unknown

**A/N: Okay so I intended for there to be a major time jump starting with this chapter but some people commented that they were looking forward to summer scenes so I decided to write a couple of chapters and then skip ahead. Hope that's okay with all of you! Enjoy!**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The first weekend Brennan and Booth were staying in Philadelphia, Brennan received a phone call. It was from her beloved roommate.

Angela had, once again, decided to give Jack a chance and they were dating again. They were planning on taking a trip to New York for a week and wanted Brennan and Booth to go with. Of course, Angela wasn't about to take no for an answer and picked up Brennan and Booth in Philly on their way to New York City.

Their weeklong trip was packed but excited and adventurous nonetheless. The girls went to Broadway while the men sat in bleacher seats at Yankee Stadium. They had all gone out for dinner and saw all the morning talk shows and spent late nights gallivanting around Times Square. Sightseeing was, of course, part of the action and their trip home was long and dull compared to the short week they had spent there.

"I need a few days to recover," Booth said, dropping his suitcase on the floor and flopping down on his bed, "I'm exhausted." It was only mid afternoon but he felt like he could sleep for days.

"You made Jack drive all the way back from New Jersey! You slept the whole way here! They still have to drive to Texas!" Brennan countered.

Booth didn't say anything. He climbed under the sheets and patted the empty spot beside him. She then felt obliged to join him and moved to the bed. Not long after, they were both sound asleep.

"Hey, you two lovebirds want a snack before dinner?" Hank called from the hallway. When he didn't receive an answer he went to investigate. "Hey, I'm talking to-" He stopped short and didn't finish yelling. No sense in breaking up what was meant to be.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Hank surprised his grandsons and Brennan the next week with a new pool. It was just an above ground one, nothing too fancy, but it was more than they had had before and the three young kids were thrilled beyond belief.

Hank let Jared and Booth set everything up. It took a few days to get the chlorine levels just right and make sure everything was working properly but when it was done, no one could get into their swim suits fast enough.

One night, Hank and Jared went shopping, leaving Brennan and Booth home alone. Jared was still a growing boy and needed new clothes all the time. His shorts and t shirts from last summer hardly fit him so the youngest Booth and his grandfather were off to the mall to find something suitable.

Brennan and Booth were in the living room watching TV when Booth said, "Let's go for a swim!"

Brennan shook her head. "By now, the water's probably freezing! The sun isn't even out anymore!'

"Nah, it's still warm from earlier, I promise. Come on, let's go change." Booth pulled her from off the couch to their shared bedroom.

Twenty minutes after being distracted by each other, they made their way out to the pool. It was dark out but the street lights and a neighbor's back porch light was all they needed. Like Booth had said, the water was still warm. They swam around for a bit, chasing each other under the water. The pool was barely five feet deep; they could both stand in the pool and still have their heads out of the water. But the night air was cold and they both sank under the water until the top hit their chins.

"Can I ask you something?" Brennan said quietly.

"Anything."

She hesitated, scared her question might provoke something, she said, "Whatever happened to your mom?"

His face fell. Booth hadn't been expecting that question. "I don't know," he answered honestly.

"Don't you want to know?"

"No."

"Is she still alive? Do you know where she is now or what she's doing or how her life has been?"

Booth lost his temper. "Why? What's it to you? I don't care where she is or what she's doing or how her life has been! She left! Sure, she's probably still alive but I don't give a shit!" he yelled.

This rampage sent Brennan as far across the pool from him as she could. He had never yelled at her before and seeing him angry scared her.

"If my mom was still around, I'd want to know what was going on." Brennan hardly whispered as soon as it left her mouth, Booth realized his mistake.

"Bren, I'm sorry." He went across the pool and hugged her. Slipping a finger under her chin, he guided her face up to his and kissed her. Neither of them minded the chlorine taste, the kiss lasing longer than several steamboats.

Pulling away, he said, "She left. She just left Jared and me with him. She didn't even bother to take us with. I think about looking for her sometimes. And I get why she left. Dad gave her the worst of it. But what about us?"

Brennan thought for a moment, not wanting to upset him again and asked, "Do you want help looking for her? We have almost three more months here. I'm sure we could at least find where she lives now."

Booth nodded. "Tomorrow. We'll start our search tomorrow," he said, seeing Pops' headlights pull into the driveway.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elizabeth Bellman was her name before she became Elizabeth Booth. Her eldest son knew that much. She was born in July, but beyond that, Booth couldn't remember the exact date.

They could've asked Pops for help but Booth thought it was best to leave him out of it. They searched for records at the city archives and only found three documents that contained her name: Booth and Jared's birth certificates and the marriage certificate of his parents.

Knowing her social security number would've helped, but the couple barely knew their own, let alone anyone else's. Booth thought they had reached the end of their search only two days into it when a commercial came on the TV behind the archive secretary's desk.

It was an old commercial for a heating and air conditioning service. The song on the commercial sounded familiar to Booth. He tapped his foot to the beat and realized he knew something about his mother he barely remembered.

"Crock Advertising Agency," he muttered.

"What did you say?" Brennan was confused.

"I know where she works. Or worked. But maybe she still does."

Booth took off at a run towards Hank's car they had borrowed for the day. Driving to downtown Philly was a breeze for him. For some reason, the route to his mother's workplace was ingrained in his memory.

"She brought me here every once in a while. I don't remember why I would go to work with her. I was probably too young for school." They were stopped at a large brick building no more than three stories high. They walked into the main lobby. There were two other doors and an elevator. The sign next to the elevator had three lines.

_Newhaus Art Gallery – First Floor_

_Dahl Carpeting Supplies – Second Floor_

_Crock Advertising Agency – Third Floor_

One door led to the art gallery and the other to stairs. Booth was too impatient to wait for the elevator so he bound up the stairs, taking three or four at a time, Brennan doing the best she could to keep up with him.

When she exited the stairwell at the third floor, Booth was already at the receptionist's desk.

"Is Elizabeth here?"

The receptionist looked him over like a vulture on a carcass. "You mean Lizzie? She went home for the night already."

Booth then asked, "Could you tell me where she lives?"

The receptionist, named Candi according the plaque on the desk, blew a large bubble with her gum and then said, "Honey, how do I know you're not just some weirdo looking to creep her out?"

"I'm family. I'm her…cousin. There's been a family emergency with our grandfather. He's really sick and he really wants to see her," Booth pleaded.

Candi looked him over once more and gave him the address. Giving her his most charming smile, Booth thanked her and pulled Brennan into the elevator.

"Pops is going to want us home for dinner soon," Brennan reminded him.

"I need to go. We're so close now."

Brennan nodded. "I know. I don't blame you for wanting to go. I would too."

He grinned at her and gave her a kiss. "Thank you. For helping me. Do you want to…" He trailed off, seeing her emotions change rapidly.

"No, Booth. They're dead. I've come to accept that. I don't need to look for them."

He shook his head. "Everyone needs their parents."

"You're all I need. You fixed me," she told him. Booth smiled back at her as he guided her to the car and sped off to the address.

It turned out to be in a very affluent part of town. Neither knew what to make of it but Hank's old, beat up car was definitely out of place in the neighborhood.

"There it is. 745 East Linden Avenue," Brennan pointed out. It was a large brick house surrounded by a pond and a big yard. It was nicer than anything either of them had seen before.

"Okay, let's just do this," Booth gave himself a quick pep talk before getting out of the car. He shut the door and noticed Brennan hadn't followed suit.

He opened her door. "Come on, let's go."

Brennan shook her head. "You need to do this. Without me. She's your mom and you need to face her."

"I wouldn't have done this if it hadn't been for you. I need you there with me. I need you. Please?" He begged.

Reluctantly, Brennan got out of the car and the two made their way to the front door.

"I wasn't even this nervous before playing Alabama," Booth muttered to her.

He rang the doorbell and both waited anxiously. He heard a dog bark and a footsteps shuffling around inside.

He grabbed Brennan's hand and squeezed it tight. She gave a gentle squeeze back, letting him know she was there. He looked down and smiled at her as the door opened.

"Can I help you?" It was a little girl. She was about ten from what Booth could tell and she looked just like Jared.

"Uh…I'm…um…" Booth stumbled.

"Can we talk to your mom?" Brennan said for him. The little girl nodded and ran toward the back of the house.

"Mommy! There's someone here to see you!" the girl called.

"Sadie, who is it?" Booth recognized his mother's voice immediately. He gripped Brennan's hand tighter and she moved closer to him.

"I don't know. There's a guy and girl waiting for you at the door."

"Okay, Sadie, go ask them their names. See if I know them."

The little girl, Sadie, came skipping back to the door.

"What's your names? Do you know my mommy?"

"Yes, I know her," Booth said, finding his voice, "tell her Seeley is here."

Sadie smiled at them and skipped back to her mother. Leaving the door open, they could see Sadie running back to the kitchen. They could see the living room with a lot of open space and the dining room that looked like it was only used for special occasions. They could even see up the stairs that started just past the entryway.

Then a pan dropped to the ground and the sound resonated loudly. Sadie yelped and ran up the stairs. Booth could hear his mother muttering in French. Something she used to do when she was upset with him or Jared but didn't want to yell at them.

Booth suddenly looked down at Brennan. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked back at him. She could see the nervousness and fear in his eyes. She was just as nervous as he was. Hearing footsteps coming closer, Brennan broke her eyes away and turned toward the door. Booth did the same.

"Oh my god," his mother greeted them. Booth didn't know what to say. He waited for her to say something else.

"How did you…Hi, Seeley…How are you?"

"Fine. I just needed to know you were still alive. We gotta go," he said, turning on a dime, pulling Brennan with him.

"No, wait!" Lizzie called, "Come back. I'd…I'd like to talk to you."

Booth didn't stop but Brennan did. She pulled her hand from his and that got his attention.

"Come on," he growled.

"No, Booth. You need to face her," Brennan said firmly.

"No, she doesn't get to talk to me. She left," Booth snapped at her.

He was furious, years of pent up hatred for her leaving suddenly coming to a boil.

Brennan wasn't afraid of his anger this time.

"If it were me, I'd want to talk to my mother. I haven't seen my mother for years, either. At least you know your mom is alive. At least you know where she is. Mine left me too, Seeley," she spat, "you have a chance to change that. Don't screw up."

Booth wasn't expecting such an outrage from her. He looked back up to the house, Lizzie still standing in the doorway.

He looked at Brennan and said, "I'm only doing this for you, Bren."

"Fine. If that's what'll take, fine."

Booth looked up at Lizzie again and feeling his nervousness come back he asked, "Will you still come with me? I really need you in there."

She nodded, took his hand, and led him back to his mother.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: So the road trip part was harder to write than I first realized. New York seemed like the most obvious place for them to go, but having never been there myself, I found it really hard to write about. So, I cut that part down and I'm making the part with Booth's mother a little longer than I anticipated. Hope you guys liked it. Let me know what you think!**


	21. An undiscovered history

Both were nervous but Brennan had a kind of faith in her man that she hadn't felt before. She knew it would be hard for him to even talk to his mother but she knew he would regret it for the rest of his life if he stayed away.

Booth's palms were sweating and he gripped Brennan's hand tight. As they approached Lizzie, he took a deep breath. His mother looked just as nervous. Booth looked her over for the first time. She still had that same long, black hair he remembered but with a hint of gray. Her eyes were a soft green. Like Booth's, they were warm and kind. Lizzie looked the same way Booth remembered, just a bit older.

"Mommy?" Sadie's voice came from the second floor. Lizzie, Booth and Brennan all looked up at her, the couple now standing in front of his mother.

"Play in your room, honey. Mommy will come get you when dinner's ready," Lizzie called over her shoulder. Booth was still having a hard time realizing that he had a little sister. It didn't seem right to him.

"Seeley, how did you find me?" Lizzie started. She sounded nervous but genuinely happy to see him.

"I remembered where you work. They gave me your address," he told her.

Giving him a warm smile, she said, "I'm sorry. For everything. I really am."

Booth nodded and took a deep breath, attempting to hold in his tears. She invited them in and Brennan introduced herself. Lizzie guided them into the living room. The couple took a seat on the couch while Lizzie sat in a chair opposite them. Lizzie just looked at Booth in awe.

Leaving them behind all those years ago was not something she has wanted to do. Lizzie broke the stalemate, speaking first.

"I tried to take you and Jared with me. I had packed everything up while Joe was at work but he came home early that day," she explained. "You and Jared were already in the car and I was getting some food for the road. I didn't know where we were going and I didn't know when I would be able to feed you boys. When I came out of the house, Joe had taken you and Jared out of the car. He had you by your neck. He kept yelling something at you but you wouldn't answer. I told Jared to get back in the car then Joe came at me. You grabbed Jared and threw him over the neighbor's fence. Joe told me I could leave but you and Jared had to stay. I saw you jump over the fence and I knew you were okay for a little while. I left but I told Joe I was coming back for you. I told the police what was going on but they didn't care. Family Services didn't listen o me either. I tried, Seeley. I really did," Lizzie was crying now and Booth was at a loss for words. He still hadn't let go of Brennan's hand. She squeezed his hand a bit to remind him that she was there for him. It helped, but Booth was still overwhelmed.

"You don't remember that, do you?" Lizzie asked.

"No, I don't," Booth said honestly. "I don't really remember a lot about you. I was seven when you left. Jared was four. He doesn't even remember what you look like. I did though. I remembered."

"What made you decide to look for me?" Lizzie was curious. The day she gave up trying to get them away from their father was the day she knew she'd never see them again.

Booth looked at Brennan, who smiled back at him.

"It's okay. Tell her," Brennan pushed.

"Bren's staying with Pops, Jared and I for the summer. She doesn't have a family, besides us," he added.

"My parents disappeared when I was fifteen. I asked the other night what happened to his mom. I told him, if I knew where to look for my mom or dad, I would," Brennan explained.

Lizzie smiled sadly at her. "I'm glad you and your brother are with Hank now. He's a good man," she said sincerely. Booth just nodded, unsure of what to say next.

Lizzie stood up suddenly, walked over to a tall bookshelf and pulled a large leather bound book.

"Ever since I realized you were playing football at college, I've followed your career." Lizzie handed Booth the book. It was full of clippings from newspapers and sports magazines, all about the star quarterback at NU. Booth smiled slightly. He was comforted to know she at least still cared about him.

"Stay for dinner," Lizzie offered. "Brian and the baby are going to be home soon. I'd really like for you to meet Sadie properly."

Hesitantly, Booth looked to Brennan for guidance. He hadn't expected all of this when they started looking for his mother. She said 'baby'. He had another sibling. It was almost too much for Booth to handle. Brennan shrugged, letting him know it was his decision to make.

"We really shouldn't. Pops is expecting us home really soon. He's probably making dinner for us," Booth reasoned.

"Well…" Lizzie sighed, "I'd really like to see you again, Seeley. I know you probably can't forgive me right now…but, I'd really like to see you again soon."

Booth nodded. He felt bad for leaving like this. He loved his family, and to him, that meant Hank, Jared and Brennan. But now that was starting to include Lizzie, Sadie and his other sibling he still hadn't met.

"Can I use your phone?" Booth asked. "I'm sure Pops'll understand."

Beaming, Lizzie told Booth the phone was in the kitchen. He left the two women alone in silence.

"I'm glad you're here for him. I may have just met you but you seem to be good for him. Seeley has always tried to be strong; at least he was when I was around. But he can't be strong for everything. Thank you for helping him, Temperance," Lizzie said.

Brennan nodded. "You can just call me Bren. That's what Booth calls me."

"You call him Booth?" Lizzie questioned.

"I don't think he likes being called Seeley but I really don't know," the younger woman explained.

Lizzie nodded. "It's understandable. I don't think he knows this but he's named after my grandfather, a World War II soldier. He was killed in the line of duty. I wanted to instill some sort of duty and pride in him."

Brennan smiled at Lizzie. She was still wary of Booth's mother but Brennan had been burned one too many times. Yet, Lizzie reminded Brennan of her mother, soft spoken and kind.

Booth reentered the living room and both women looked up at him, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"I have a question…" Booth said to Lizzie.

She nodded for him to continue.

"Would you like Jared to come? I explained the situation to Pops and he thinks it might be a good idea for Jared to meet you. He always asks about you."

Lizzie's face lit up. "He does?"

Booth nodded. "Pops is gonna explain the situation to him. I'm gonna go get him. Bren, you wanna stay or come with me?"

Brennan shrugged. "I'll be fine here. I don't mind," she said. She gave him an encouraging smile and watched him walk out the door.

A half hour later, after Lizzie and Brennan were done setting the table and getting their dinner finished, they heard the garage door open. A door in the kitchen that led to the garage opened soon after to reveal a tall, graying man holding a toddler on his hip. Brennan guessed the baby was a little older than a year old.

"Hi, Sasha!" Lizzie greeted the baby. The little girl smiled and reached her arms out toward her mother. Lizzie hugged and kissed her daughter and then did the same to her husband.

"Honey? Who's this?" Brian said, now noticing Brennan.

"Brian, we are going to have some guests tonight for dinner," Lizzie started to explain.

Brian walked toward Brennan. Sticking a hand out to shake, he said, "Brian DuPont, nice to meet you. You are?"

"Temperance Brennan," she said, accepting the handshake.

Releasing her hand, Brian looked back at Lizzie, "Is this one of the nannies you're thinking of hiring?"

Lizzie shook her head. "Brian, remember when I told you about…my situation before I met you?"

Brian nodded. "You said you had an abusive husband and two sons."

"One of my boys found me today. Seeley. The oldest. Bren is his girlfriend. She stayed and helped me with dinner while Seeley went to pick up Jared. I really hope this is okay, Brian. I know it's a lot to handle in one night but this really means a lot to me. I was a horrible mother to them and I need to do everything I can to make it up now that they're back in my life."

Brian walked to his wife and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, Liz. Don't worry about it. If it's important to you, than it's important to me."

Brennan smiled. "They should be back anytime. This is a lot to take in. I hope Jared understands."

Brian and Lizzie both nodded in agreement when Booth knocked on the door.

"Bren? You still here?" He called out, not seeing her in the living room.

Brennan ran to Booth and hugged him, knowing he needed her support. She saw Jared still sitting out in the car.

"Booth," she said with concern, pulling back from the hug, "Why isn't Jared up here?"

"He's kinda freaking out. I was wondering if you'd come talk to him with me. Explain it from your angle. You know, your parents…if you don't mind."

She smiled at him. "Anything. He needs this. Maybe more than you do."

She called to Lizzie saying they'd be back in soon and jogged out to Hank's car.

She opened Jared's door and knelt down to see into the car better.

"Jared, come on. Dinner's almost ready."

Jared shook his head. "This is weird, you know?" he said, finally looking at Brennan. She nodded.

"I mean, Seel called Pops and when Pops told me what was going on, I kinda got excited. And a little scared. Then on the way here, Seel told me about having a little sister and it's all so weird. I don't know if I want to meet her, anyway. Mom left us. How could she do that?"

"Jared, I know you are still processing this but listen to me, did I ever tell you about my parents?"

The youngest Booth shook his head. "I never wanted to pry but I'll bet there's a pretty good reason you come hang out with us on breaks than with your own family."

"My parents left me and my brother when I was fifteen. Russ took off soon after that too. I went into the foster care system. Do me a favor, Jared, and at least meet her. Your mom may have abandoned you like mine did but at least you have a chance to know her now. I don't. So…please? For me?" Brennan begged.

Jared smiled sadly at her and got out of the car. Brennan led the way back to the house, with Booth and Jared following close behind. The brothers looked at each other, took deep breaths and stepped over the threshold, unsure of what was to come.

XXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: So…I'm tired and I'm going to bed now but next chapter is the dinner! So get ready. I have a vague idea of what I think is going to go down but we'll see how it ends up. But I have to work tomorrow and I have weddings and graduations to go to all weekend so I'll write and update when I can. Thanks to all my readers out there! Let me know what you think!**


	22. A fight that opens old wounds

"Wow…Jared, I…You've grown up so much!" Lizzie gushed. She ran to stand in front of him and look him over, not daring to hug or touch him.

Jared smiled politely at his mother and then noticed the dining room all set up. There was a little girl sitting in her chair, staring at him, and another smaller girl sitting in a high chair next to her.

"I'm sorry. For everything. And I know you don't remember me and I don't expect you to forgive me, but I'm just glad you're giving me a chance. Thank you," Lizzie told him.

Jared just nodded. "Take a seat, please," Lizzie said, seeing the boys eye the food on the table. With Brian at one end of the table, Lizzie took the other end, leaving one side open for Booth, Jared and Brennan to sit across from Sadie and Sasha.

"Boys, this is my husband, Brian and my two girls, Sasha and Sadie," Lizzie spoke and gestured to each in turn. Jared and Booth just nodded their hellos to everyone and sat at the table. The boys glanced at each other, nervous for what was going on.

"Sadie, can you say hi?" Brian prompted.

The little girl perked up and waved vigorously to the boys.

Booth smiled at his young sister and then looked to Brennan. She reached for his hand and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Mommy, why are they eating with us?" Sadie asked, mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"Sadie," Brian said, before Lizzie could answer, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

She grinned at him. Booth and Jared's little sister knew she wasn't using her manners and breaking rules still thrilled her.

"Well, Sadie…" Lizzie thought of a good way to tell her daughter about her brothers, "Seeley and Jared are my little boys too. Just like you and Sasha are my little girls."

"I have two brothers?" Sadie screeched. She looked back to Booth and Jared who just smiled at the girl. Sadie was thrilled to know she had a couple of big brothers who could play with her. "Can I show you my toys after dinner?" she asked Jared.

Jared looked to Lizzie for permission and his mother nodded. "Sure," he answered.

The reunited family talked through the rest of dinner easily. They found it effortless to talk ad reconnect with their mother. But it also helped both boys that Brennan was there. She was envious of Booth and Jared they had a second chance to know their mother but she was happy for them. Jared had even called Lizzie Mom at one point, which had surprised her. But Jared didn't remember having a mother and it was easy for him to fall back into the routine. Booth on the other hand kept calling his mother by her given name, which hurt Lizzie a little each time but she couldn't blame her eldest child for not forgiving her.

"Are staying with us now?" Sadie tugged on Jared's pant leg as they came down the stairs.

"What?" Jared said, confused about her question.

"Are you living with us now? I'm so glad I have two really nice big brothers," Sadie told him, looking between him and Booth, who had met Jared at the bottom of the stairs along with Lizzie and Brennan.

"Uhh…" Jared wasn't sure how to respond. He nervously looked around for help.

"No, Sweetie, they have their own house to go back to," Lizzie said, unsure of how her daughter would react. Lizzie was afraid that her sons would never come back.

Brian took Sadie back upstairs to get ready for bed while Lizzie walked the group out to Hank's car.

"Thank you for dinner," Booth said, his hand on the driver side door, waiting to leave.

"No, please don't thank me. It was so wonderful to see my boys again," Lizzie told him, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't expect you to forgive me, Seeley. But thank you for coming back into my life. I'm so sorry for what happened to you boys. I hope this isn't a onetime visit."

Jared shook his head. "Of course not, Mom," he said, giving her a hug. "You're our mom. You tried to help us but Dad was too sneaky for the cops. I'd like to come back soon, get to know my sisters a little more."

Lizzie really started crying then and hugged Jared tighter. Jared let go and got into the backseat.

Booth hugged Lizzie quickly and moved back to the car. "Will you come back soon too, Seeley?" Lizzie asked hopefully. She already knew the answer. Her son was too scarred from the trauma of her leaving and his father's abuse to ever forgive her. She hoped that wasn't the case but she knew all too well how horrible Joseph had been to Seeley especially.

Booth nodded once and said, "I'll try. With Bren here and things I have planned and classes soon and football, I'll try." Lizzie smiled at him and knew at least he was trying to forgive her.

Brennan said goodbye to Lizzie and climbed in the passenger seat. As soon as the door was shut, Booth took off.

"Booth, slow down! I barely got in the car! What's wrong?" Brennan asked. Jared looked to his brother nervously and when Booth glared at him through the rear view mirror, Jared put his headphones on and ignored the conversation.

"Sisters," Booth said quietly, "I have sisters and a stepdad and a mother who barely attempted to take us away from Dad."

"Booth, she did all she knew how. She tried and when she knew there was no way to get you away from your father, she had to move on. She loves you, Booth. At least try to see past your past. Try to forgive her."

"No," he spat, his voice full of venom and hatred.

"Booth, please," Brennan tried to reason with him but he cut her off.

"No, Temperance. I'm done talking about this. I only told her I'd try to come back so she wouldn't get upset. Jared can visit her all he wants. I'm done. This was a horrible idea. I don't even know why I let you talk me into this. This was stupid shit you pulled, Bren. You did this for yourself. Not for me. You thought you could fix my life into what you wish you had for yourself. You can't just mess with people like that, Bren! It's not fair!" he yelled.

Jared tried to ignore it but he knew either his brother was either about to make a fool out of himself or say something he would regret.

"No, I was just trying to help! I'm trying to save you the pain I'm feeling. You don't have to experience the pain of receiving your parents' death certificates in the mail, Seeley! You know both your parents are alive, and as much as you hate them for leaving and beating you, you must know it's better than thinking they're both dead!"

Booth pulled the car up to the front of the house and parked it without fully stopping. It jerked to a halt, throwing Jared and Brennan forward, neither unexpecting the sudden stop.

"Booth! What are you doing?" Brennan called after him as he exited the car. She followed and left a cautious Jared in her wake.

"What? What do you want? I am not in the mood to talk to you, Bren," Booth shouted over his shoulder as he walked up to the house. Brennan ran after him to catch up.

"Booth, please, just listen," she begged, following him. Brennan followed him up the porch steps where he had stopped.

Jared, noticing there was no way he was going to get around his pissed off older brother, went around to the back door. He was afraid his brother was going to lose his temper, something that didn't happen very often, but when it did, it was bad.

Jared ran to the back door and burst into the house.

"J? What's wrong? Where's Bren and Shrimp?" Hank asked when he noticed his grandson alone with a terrified look on his face.

"They're fighting. Out on the porch. Seel's really mad, Pops. Really mad that she helped him find Mom."

Hank nodded. "I thought he wanted to find her."

Jared shrugged. "Apparently, not as much as Bren wants to find her parents. I think Seel think that she did this cuz her parents are dead. They were fighting in the car too. I tried not to listen but even with my music on," he held up his headphones, "I heard every word of it."

Hank heard glass shatter. He ran to the front door and swung it open. The window in the outer door was scattered over the porch. Booth was just staring down at the glass, blood dripping from his hand and Brennan, cowering, sitting on the porch, shaking, glass shards surrounding her.

"Seeley!" Hank shouted. He pushed his grandson down the porch stairs and into the yard. Hank gave Jared instructions to take Brennan inside.

Jared spend several minutes trying to persuade Brennan to go inside, but after no such luck of her moving on her own, Jared took it upon himself to carry her inside to Booth's room. She allowed him to pick her up, but not after flinching at his approaching figure. Now, knowing about her past, Jared knew not to be offended at her behavior but to be upset with his brother for scaring her.

Brennan's past was still fresh in her mind. She still had nightmares of the beatings and the days spent in the car trunk. Brennan finally thought Booth would be the one to end it.

"Look at her!" Hank yelled, pointing to Brennan being helped inside by Jared.

"Look at her!" He yelled again after he noticed Booth's eyes were still focused on the ground below him.

"You can't just explode like that anymore, Seeley, especially not around Bren. She's had a hard life, just like you. She wasn't doing this for herself. You were the one who drove to find her. You were the one who stayed for dinner. You didn't have to stay. You could've left Liz just like she left you. But you didn't. And Bren thought she was helping. I was thrilled she suggested finding your mom because I knew she was still alive and still in Philly but I was too upset to do anything about it. Your girl in there was trying to fix things for you and your brother. She was trying to give you what she will never have! You can't just throw a fit anymore, Shrimp. She's too fragile for that. Her emotions are too raw still. Everything is still recent for her, unlike you; you've had years to process what your father did to you. She's still back there. She's still in that car trunk." When Hank said this, Booth's head snapped up to look him in the eyes.

"She never told you why she broke down Christmas night," Hank observed. Booth nodded and waited for his grandfather to tell the story.

"You still need to hear this from her. But I'll tell you what she told me. She broke a plate. Not sure why but her foster parents thought the appropriate punishment would be to lock her in their car trunk for two days. She's still there, Shrimp," he said quietly, "You need to control yourself, control your anger. Don't talk to her now. Give her an hour or two before you go to her. She needs some space. I'm sure she's fine but she's scared right now. And as much as I hate to say this, she's scared of you."


	23. An apology to change their lives

Late into the night, Booth laid on the floor in the living room in front of the TV. After his outburst, he had given Brennan some space. She hadn't come out of the bedroom since Jared helped her there earlier.

Booth was dozing off and on, watching replays from that day's Phillies game on _ESPN_. He had wanted to watch the game but he had been picking up Jared to go to dinner when it had started and he missed almost all of the game while he was at Lizzie's house.

He was woken by a dog barking a few houses down. Sitting up, he checked the time on the old VCR. It read _1:27_. He stood up and immediately knew he should've gone to see Bren before they both fell asleep. Booth sighed and slowly made his way to the bedroom. He opened the door just wide enough for him to fit though and moved to the bed. He then took off his shorts and his t-shirt and lay in bed.

Brennan was sound asleep. She was on her side, facing him. He faced her, wanting to look at her. He kept his distance just in case she woke up. Booth knew if he was right in her face and she decided to wake up, she'd probably have another panic attack. But it was then she did decide to wake up, scaring him more than herself.

She didn't flinch, but instead looked him over. He looked worse for the wear. The bags under his eyes were worse than she had ever seen and worry flooded his eyes.

Neither spoke, Brennan waiting for him to say something first, and Booth scared to set her off again. He gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry," he offered. Brennan stayed silent, wanting him to say more.

"I shouldn't have yelled. Please, please forgive me. Can I ask…Why didn't you tell me about the car trunk?" he asked. She winced and she took on a fearful expression. Booth flinched at that. He knew he should've phrased the question better.

"I don't know. I told Hank and I thought it wouldn't matter if you knew or not. I'm not someone who parades what my past holds," she snapped.

He flinched again. "I'm sorry. I just didn't know how bad things were for you. My…experiences seem like nothing compared to yours. Please don't be mad at Pops for telling me about…"

"I could never be mad at Hank. He's done too much for me. He's wonderful," she said softly. Booth just nodded, knowing what she said to be true.

"I really am sorry, Bren. I'm so…deeply, incredibly in love with you and it scares me."

She laughed sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "So that's your excuse for what you did? Really, Booth?"

"I'm not saying it's an excuse. But, Bren, I really do love you. With all my heart-"

"Your heart is a muscle," she cut him off, trying to avoid the subject.

"No, not the way I see it. Just listen. The closer we get, the more I realize just how much I love you. I've never felt this way about anyone before, Bren. It's scary for me and I'm sure, right now, I'm freaking you out too. You helping me…with my…mom…just made me realize that maybe you feel the same way about me," he ended hopefully. He really wanted her to say something back. Something like, _Oh, I love you so much too_, but he knew better. He needed to take this chance on her.

Brennan just nodded slowly, trying to understand exactly what he was saying. She yawned and shut her eyes for a few moments.

"You're tired. We can talk about this in the morning," Booth stated. He smiled at her.

She gave him a thankful smile and moved closer to him. Booth lay on his back and pat his chest. Taking the hint, she rested her head on his chest, wrapping an arm around his waist. Brennan listened to his heart beat. Though she knew his heart didn't think and was only a muscle, she knew it was filled with love for her and she could only wait until morning to tell him that she wasn't about to think with her brain anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this update is so short :/ I still can't get the finale out of my head and I've come up with another idea. The song playing at the end of the finale is called Kandi by One eskimO. I have the entire album and I was thinking about basing a short fic on each song and centering it around the finale. There's somewhere between 12 or 13 songs (one chapter for each song). Please let me know what you think (About this chapter and my idea for another fic)! Please and thank you!**


	24. A romantic morning

**A/N: Hello again, everyone! I am so incredibly sorry for my long absence on this story. Little miss muse just wouldn't come around for this one and I've been having severe writer's block because of it. Anyway, here's a short update. This summer is going to be incredibly busy for me unfortunately so hopefully I can continue this at a somewhat steady pace. Please enjoy and let me know what you think! :)**

* * *

Brennan's eyes opened the next morning and the only thing she saw was an empty bed. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. Brennan looked at the alarm clock. She had slept past ten and had an extremely empty stomach. Her stomach rumbled and she moved to get out of bed.

"Stop right there," she heard Booth say. Brennan turned around to look in the doorway but the door was only open a crack. He gently kicked the door open and brought a tray of food in.

"Get back in bed. Pops and J left. Not sure where they went. But I thought we could eat breakfast in bed," he said, smiling her.

She slid back under the sheets as Booth sat the tray on the table next to the bed. He moved back under the covers next to her and handed Brennan her food.

"Cinnamon toast and fruit for you and bacon and eggs for me!"

Brennan smiled at him and took her food.

"Thank you. Listen about last night," she began but Booth cut her off before she could even finish.

"Let's just eat first before we talk. Please," Booth begged.

"Can I just say-"

"No," he stopped her again, "Please, Bren. We'll talk after breakfast." Booth shoved an entire slice of bacon in his mouth and was watching Bren to eat some of her food.

"Booth, I love you." She looked at him expectantly, and when he didn't do anything but stare at her, she started to pick at her fruit.

"Sorry. I don't know what got into me," she mumbled as she popped a grape in her mouth.

Booth snapped out of his trance, shook it off and grabbed her free hand. "Bren…"

"Look, I know I've told you I love you before. But, I really do. I didn't mean to overstep with your mom. I just wanted to help. I know you would help me with something like that if I knew more about where my parents went. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you to make that step," Brennan interrupted him. She avoided looking at him and kept playing with her food.

"Bren, you don't need to apologize. What happened last night is not your fault. I just need to learn how to control my temper. I'm the one that needs to apologize. I can't lose you, Bren. I'm so sorry."

She leaned over him and kissed him. "Let's just forget about it, okay? It's over and done with. I'm not going to tell you how you handle your mother now that you've found her. You do what you want. Can we eat breakfast now? I'm really hungry."

"I have a better idea," he whispered. He took her plate, despite her "Hey! I wasn't done with that", and set it down on the tray next to his.

Booth pulled her close and kissed her slowly. She couldn't hold back a moan and it only encouraged him. His hands slid under her shirt and she pressed her body to his. Booth tugged at her shirt and she pulled it off and it fell to the floor, his joining hers not long after. Brennan yanked at his gym shorts and boxers. He kissed her fast and hard and it only fueled her more. They were lost in each other. Neither of them heard the backdoor open and slam shut.

"Seel?" Jared stuck his head in the door, getting an eye full of something he knew he'd regret.

"Jared! Get outta here! Damn it!" Booth yelled at his little brother. Brennan's face was redder than it ever had been and she pulled the sheets over her as far as they could go.

Booth looked back at Brennan and blushed too.

"Promise we'll finish this later?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

Instead of a verbal response, she kissed him softly and nodded.

"Let's get dressed before Pops walks in too. Come on, we gotta get ready for the Phillies game."


	25. A highlight worthy catch

**Disclaimer: I do not own, or know, any of the real people or teams mentioned in the following chapter! **

They arrived to the ballpark almost two hours before the game.

"Booth, what are we doing here so early? I had more time to eat and get ready. I'm still really hungry," Brennan complained as he pulled her toward the gate.

"So we can get you food and souvenirs before the lines get long and we can find our seats without having to deal with rude, drunk people," he explained like it was nothing.

She held onto his hand for dear life as Booth took her from food stand to food stand trying to decide what they should eat. Brennan settled on a pretzel and Booth got the biggest Philly cheese steak on the menu.

"Can we sit to eat this? I don't like people watching me shove my face full of food," Brennan asked, still being pulled along by Booth, who was on a mission to find the perfect souvenir for Bren.

"You can eat when we find our seat. I wanna get you something," he said, his voice muffled by the giant amount of meat in his mouth.

He dragged her into the gift shop and started suggesting things she might like.

"God, this stuff's a fortune. I guess that's why Pops never liked to take Jared and me into the gift shop," he commented. Booth was done with his sandwich by now and Brennan was still nibbling on her pretzel.

"Let's just wait 'til after the game, I really wanna see the…uh…where they play," Brennan tried.

He smiled at her. "It's called a diamond. Come on, I'm not sure where we're sitting."

They walked through the concourse and searched for their section.

The couple finally stopped a worker to ask for directions.

"It's under the scoreboard in left field," the worker told them. Booth's eyes widened and he could barely spit out a thank you.

"What's wrong?" Brennan asked. Booth was running and even though he had a firm grip on her hand, she was struggling to keep up.

The reached their seats and Booth was jumping around, cheering and shouting.

"Bren! I've wanted to sit in the outfield forever! This is where all the homeruns are hit! Maybe if we're lucky we'll catch one. Ha! I can't believe it! Pops got the best seats!" He cried.

Brennan watched him look around like he had never seen this place before. The game soon started and they were enjoying themselves and the game was a good one. The Phillies were playing their rival, the New York Mets.

They had to crane their necks to look back at the jumbotron but the view from their seats was perfect. It was a high scoring game, meaning the number of home runs was high as well. A few balls few over their heads. Brennan could tell as soon as the ball was hit were it would most likely end up. It was simple physics. But Booth jumped and reached for balls that were several feet over his head. Brennan tried to explain how to determine where the ball would go to Booth but he was too in to the game.

The score was 6-8 with the Mets in the lead and there was only two and a half innings left. It was the seventh inning stretch and Brennan didn't understand the classic baseball tradition. The groundskeepers combed the dirt on the infield and the crowd was standing around her.

Booth was standing too. "Come on, Bren. Stand up."

She did but was still confused. "Why are we standing?" Brennan whispered to him.

"It's the seventh inning stretch, babe. Every team in baseball does this," he explained.

"Don't call me babe."

They looked at each other with the same intensity. She was upset over the term of endearment and he was just happy to be at one of his favorite places with the love of his life.

"Sorry," Booth broke the silence between them, "I'll _try _not to call you that." He smiled at her but she didn't smile back. Booth looked back to the field to watch the players run back out. His favorite player, Roy Halladay, was up to bat next. Everyone sat back down, and Brennan just followed what they were doing. The crowd cheered and waited for the Mets pitcher to hurl a ball towards the plate. The first two pitches Halladay got were called strikes and the Phillies fans booed the home plate umpire. The Mets pitcher released the next pitch. Booth was scared Halladay was going to strikeout.

"It's a slider! Swing the damn bat!" Booth called. Brennan rolled her eyes. There was no way the batter could hear Booth from the outfield over all the other noise.

Surprisingly enough, Halladay swung his bat and sent the ball flying toward left field. Everyone in the section stood up, waiting to see if the ball would land by them. The fans were cheering, knowing it was behind the homerun point. Booth stood on his seat to try to get the advantage over other fans around him.

Booth jumped off his chair and caught the homerun ball bare handed. Brennan knew it had to hurt. That ball was probably flying through the air faster than eighty miles per hour. He yelped as he landed on the row of people in front of him. The other fans helped him up. Brennan expected the other people who were trying to catch the ball to be angry with him, but no one seemed upset.

"Here ya go, Bren!" Booth tossed the ball to her once he was back on his feet. She caught it and handed it back to him.

"No, it's yours," Booth said. "I have plenty of baseballs at home. Plus this is pretty cool for your first Phillies game!"

"Normally, don't people get mad when they…miss an opportunity like this? Other people could've caught the ball had you not jumped from your chair."

"Well, sure but I think everyone's just happy that we're getting closer to winning."

The game ended not long after that, the Phillies losing to their rivals but it was still a good game. Brennan and Booth arrived home late into the night and found Hank still up, waiting for them.

"Hey guys! Shrimp, you were on TV! They showed you catching Halladay's homer! That was a great catch, Shrimp! Who taught you catch like that?"

Booth laughed. "You did, Pops. Look at this!"

He pulled Brennan's hand up. She was holding the ball and she held it out for Hank to see.

"Very nice! That's awesome. You know, your brother is going to be very jealous," Hank told them.

"Seel! Lemme see it!" Jared came running into the living room and almost knocked Brennan over.

Jared couldn't get over it. He was upset Booth decided to take Bren to the ballgame but it almost didn't matter to him anymore since the Phillies lost.

"Hold on, I'll be right back," Jared called over his shoulder. He ran to his room and returned with a Polaroid.

"Bren, hold the ball up!" he shouted, looking through the viewfinder. Jared pressed the button and the picture was released.

"I'm going to go put it in your frame, Bren!" Jared shouted, running back down the hall to Booth's room.

Booth and Brennan sat on the couch and Hank sat in his recliner in the living room and watched _Sportscenter._ They were all thrilled to see the Phillies highlights.

"_And in the bottom of the seventh, Roy Halladay sends a homer to the left field stands and look at this! Look who that is! Philly native and Northwestern champion quarterback Seeley Booth makes a nice leaping fly to catch the ball without a glove! Who knew a quarterback could catch?" _The man on the TV joked. Booth scoffed at that.

"Damn straight, I caught it. I'm the national champion," he muttered.

Brennan elbowed him gently.

"So what are you kids gonna do tomorrow?" Hank asked.

They both shrugged.

"We could go fishing?" Booth suggested. Hank nodded and Brennan looked confused.

"I don't know how to fish. And where are we gonna get a boat?"

"When dad left, he left his old one. I can make sure it's still working and we can go fishing. I'll show you how to fish. It's not that bad."

"Okay," she said.

"Okay? Wow, I expected a bigger fight from you. I didn't think you'd want to go." Booth pulled her closer.

"I don't really care what we do if I'm with you. You want to go fishing so I'll go," she whispered. Booth looked at Hank. He was dozing in his recliner.

"Is there anything you wanna do?" Booth whispered in her ear.

She turned in his arms to face him. "Well," her voice was low and husky, "I would stay in bed all day with you if I could but…I don't think that's reasonable."

"Ugh, you have no idea how much I want to do that," he groaned and nibbled on her ear.

She did all she could to hold in a moan.

"Let's finish what we started this morning," Booth whispered and led her to the bedroom.


	26. A life altering question

Brennan woke up the next morning to find Booth gone again. She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a peach from the fridge. She looked out the kitchen window and could see Booth in outside getting the boat ready.

After putting flip flops on, she went to the garage. She watched him struggle to reach the oars for the boat on the very top shelf of their storage unit.

"Want some help?" she offered. It scared Booth and he turned around quickly. She was still in her tank top and sleep shorts and she was leaning against the doorframe, eating her fruit. It turned Booth on to see her like that but he was focused on reaching the oars, without her help.

"Nah, I got it," he grunted, stand on his tip toes to reach. He swatted one oar down and used it to reach the other. Booth tossed the oars into the boat, which was hooked to a trailer on the car.

"Where'd you get the trailer?"

Booth shrugged. "Mr. Irvine next door let me borrow it. You wanna make lunch for us or should I?"

Brennan shrugged this time. "You get all the fishing poles and other equipment. When you're done, you can help me make lunch."

He smiled at her. "Yes, dear," he answered. She waved him off and she went back to the house.

* * *

By midmorning, they had a cooler packed with their lunches an extra change of clothes in case they got dirty. They were off to Van Sciver Lake, only a half hour drive from Hank's house. They sang along to, of course, Foreigner, the whole way there.

When they arrived, Booth parked near the dock and unloaded the boat rather quickly. Brennan took their cooler out of the back seat and waited for the boat to be in the water.

Once Booth had everything set up, Brennan looked the boat over.

"Uh…Booth? Where are we supposed to sit?" she asked, trying not to sound offensive. She didn't know much about this subject but she did know that most people didn't sit on the floor of the boat. He grabbed a blanket from the trunk of Hank's car and made a cushion for them.

Booth looked the boat over too. The boat was old and looked pretty scummy. The seats for the boat were long gone which was going to make rowing difficult. It was small too. They were going to have to decide between bringing their food or their fishing poles.

"Inside, genius. Okay, we don't have room. Cooler or poles?"

"Uh…cooler?" she offered. She didn't want to make him upset for not wanting to fish, but she was already getting hungry and she wasn't about to go without lunch.

"Okay." Booth tossed the cooler in the boat and waved her to come closer to the dock. He got in first, careful not to tip it. Booth held it steady as Brennan followed his lead and got into the boat.

"Alright, Bren. Ya ready?"

She nodded and watched as Booth used the oars to move them away from the dock.

It was a slow process. Booth was having problems rowing from the floor of the boat and Brennan felt bad for not helping. She would offer several times a minute but each time Booth refused.

She didn't want to hurt his pride but she knew it was going to take forever to get anywhere. After a good half hour of nonstop rowing, Booth decided to let the current of the motorboats passing by to take them where they may.

"Alright, Bren, let's eat! All I packed was the chips so what else is in that magical bag of goodness?"

Brennan unzipped the cooler bag and pulled out Booth's chips. She also handed him a pop can and set hers next to her feet.

"So I packed a few extra sandwiches since I know you get hungry every few hours. I made a few ham sandwiches for you and a fruit salad for me. I just hope it's still cold."

"Aww, Bren! You didn't have to make so much food for me. I'd have been fine with only one!"

She nodded and handed Booth a sandwich. "I know you wouldn't need more but you would whine and complain a lot. I do not want our entire afternoon to be filled the sounds of your stomach making all sorts of noises," she laughed.

Booth laughed too. "Okay, okay, Bren. You know, you don't have to force me to eat your food. You're a good cook."

Brennan beamed with pride. "Shut up and eat," she teased.

"I love you," Booth countered.

"I love you more."

* * *

It wasn't until the sun began to set that they realized they needed to make their way back to the dock to go home. Booth and Brennan had enjoyed a long afternoon of catching some rays and talking about nothing and everything.

"Would you like help, Booth? You seem to be struggling quite a bit." Brennan observed.

"Nah, Bren, I got it under control," he said between grunts. She attempted to steal an oar but he refused.

By the time they reached the dock, the sun was down and there was very little light. Once everything was loaded, the two finally collapsed in the car and drove back to Hank's house.

"Hey, uh, Bren, you know…I had an idea earlier and I thought it might, you know, interest you," Booth said, once back on the road.

"Well, what is this idea?"

"Okay, well answer this first: Are you living in the dorms again next year?"

She shrugged and nodded. "I can't exactly afford an apartment yet. I need to find a steady, part-time job first….Are you?"

Booth shook his head. "Nope, Pops is gonna help me out with the rent and food money and stuff," he told her, his eyes focused only on the road.

Brennan nodded again slowly. "Well…that'll be nice. Maybe we could do what we have been. You know, taking turns at each other's places…things like that," Brennan offered. She was disappointed, knowing she probably wouldn't be spending much time with him this next semester.

"Well, here's what I was thinking….you could, ya know, stay with me. Like…live with me. Kinda like now. It wouldn't be any different from now! Just no Jared sneaking in on us at the worse times."

"You'd be okay with that? Me living with you?"

He laughed. "Duh, Bren. Of course! I love you. I don't want to be across campus from you every night. That would suck! So what do ya say? Let's go back to Chicago early and we'll find some little place before classes start. Pops said he'd help too. He's totally cool with this, too; I already talked to him about it."

Brennan couldn't help but smile. "Of course I'll live with you, Booth. Why did you even have to ask?"


	27. A new place to live

It was the beginning of August now and Brennan and Booth had a moving trailer packed, bound for Chicago. They said their goodbyes to Jared and Hank and checked the house over one last time, just so they didn't forget anything.

As soon as they started driving down the road, Booth said, "Can we make one quick stop? I just…need to do something before we go." Brennan nodded and let him drive where he wanted.

The trailer looked out of place in their first destination before campus.

"Wait here," Booth told Brennan before he got out of the trailer. He walked up to Lizzie's house alone. Brennan was nervous. She knew he wouldn't freak out again like he did the last time he saw her but Bren wasn't sure what was on his agenda for this.

He knocked on the door and waited. Like the first time he was there, Sadie answered the door.

"Hi, Big Brother!" Sadie shrieked. The girl flung her arms around his legs for a hug. Booth bent down and hugged her back.

"I haven't seen you in forever. Are you staying for dinner like you did last time? Mommy's making my favorite, mac and cheese. It's so yummy but Sasha doesn't like it. Mommy says she will when she's bigger. Where's Jared? He comes over here all the time. Why is your girlfriend still sitting in your big truck?" The little girl rambled, not letting Booth get a word in.

"Sadie, can you go get your mom…our mommy? I need to talk to her," Booth said gently.

"Okay!" she yelled and ran up the stairs. He could hear Sasha crying and Sadie telling Lizzie he was here. There was some frantic movement upstairs and Lizzie hurried down the stairs fast with the baby in her arms and Sadie following closely behind.

"Seeley," she said when she reached the front door, "I'm glad you're here. Your sister missed you." He held a hand up to silence her.

"I'm not staying," Booth started staying. He didn't want to sound too harsh so he said, "I can't," and motioned to Brennan, waiting in the moving truck.

"Oh," Lizzie said. Knowing Sadie was going to be devastated if Seeley didn't play with her, she begged him to stay just for a few minutes.

"Look…uh, Sadie, maybe you should go play somewhere else," Booth suggested. He knew exactly what Lizzie was thinking and wasn't about to hurt some little girl's feelings by leaving, his sister or not.

Sadie whined but followed directions when Lizzie asked more sternly.

"Look, I'm leaving. I'm going back to school," he told Lizzie. "I can't…don't expect me to stop by either when I come home, either. I can't do this. I'm sorry if Sadie doesn't understand or something and I'm sorry if you don't either but I can't help but think of everything that happened after you left. Those were things you could've prevented if you had tried harder. I'm not going to stop Jared from coming over. He can hang out here as much as he wants, for all I care. But don't expect me back."

She nodded. "I never expected you to forgive me. But if you ever need something, you can call. I still hate myself for leaving you and your brother but I really thought Joseph would stop or I guess I made myself believe that it did. I still care for you and your brother. I still love you two very much and if you can't feel the same, I understand. But, please, if you ever change your mind, I'll be right here," she said quietly, a few tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Bye, Mom," he mumbled. He hugged her quickly and jogged back to the moving truck.

"Are you okay?" Brennan asked. She knew he was crying but he wouldn't admit it.

"Yeah," he breathed, "I'm fine."

Booth shook it off and put on a smile for her. "You ready to go?"

"Yes, let's go."

* * *

They made it back to campus easily, the sun was setting and it was nice to be back on familiar ground. Booth drove the moving truck to his friend's apartment. Adam, the wide receiver who helped them win the title, offered them his living room floor to sleep on until they found a place of their own. Brennan liked Adam. He was quiet and reserved during the day but once nighttime came, the party animal in Adam came out.

The next day, the couple woke up early and started their apartment hunting. They walked around the residential area just outside of campus, looking for one bedroom or studio apartments they could afford. Brennan had taken initiative and called the only company in the area who rented one bedroom apartments. The saleswoman met them a few complexes and showed them what they had left. With classes coming soon, the couple was running out of options. They didn't have a chance to be picky.

The woman showed them a few apartments quite far from campus, but nothing seemed quite right for them. Booth needed something closer to the football practice facilities and Brennan needed something closer to the anthropology building. They'd be entering their second year and even though Booth was on track like a normal student, Brennan would start working on her master's degree by second semester and would benefit from living close to campus.

"I'm just not sure this is gonna work," Booth told the woman. They were standing in the middle of a studio apartment. From the kitchen, he could see the sitting area, bedroom, and toilet. It was small and the photos the realtor showed them from the tenant before them and assuming they'd have the same amount of stuff, the place would be packed. Booth wasn't much of a fan of small spaces and from the moment they stepped into the apartment, Brennan expressed her distaste of it.

The realtor's phone rang. "Excuse me," she said and walked into the hallway.

Booth heaved a deep sigh and asked, "So, Bren, what do you think?"

She looked at him. "I'm thinking at least a one bedroom. Look at this place! We would hate it here. Plus, it's almost two miles from campus and almost ten from your practice buildings. Without a car, it's extremely impractical to live this far out here."

"I was thinking the same thing," he whispered. Booth stepped forward, towards her and he wrapped his arms around her. They kissed and the realtor walked back into the tiny apartment.

"You two are in luck," she told Booth and Brennan. "We just received word that one tenant for next fall is backing out on his lease of a one bedroom apartment. We'll cut the rent in half for you. Would you like to go look at it?"

They both nodded furiously and followed the woman out the door.

Twenty minutes later, and just one block from campus, they stood in a small, one bedroom apartment.

"This is perfect!" Booth shouted the minute he walked in the door. They looked around and the realtor showed them all of the amenities of the place. Brennan was thrilled the apartment was not only above an organic grocery store, but just two blocks around the corner from the anthropology building.

They signed the lease right there and went straight to Adam's place to pick up the moving truck and their things from his living room.

"I can't believe we found a place!" Booth shouted as they brought the first few boxes into their new apartment.

"We were quite lucky," Brennan said.

Booth dropped the box on the kitchen counter and took the box from Brennan's hand. He put it down next to the other box and then pulled Bren into a big hug.

"This year is going to be wonderful," he whispered into her hair.

Brennan squeezed him tight and hoped he was right.

* * *

**A/N: So here we go with that time jump I keep talking about. I'll be skipping ahead about three years but for now, I'll just be doing oneshots of sorts that will capture the their time together in those three years I'll be skipping. I hope that makes sense. It makes sense in my head. I'm not sure how many there'll be before I head right back into the full story. I hope you like it! Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! :)**


	28. A saint to believe in

**A/N: Now's the time to start paying attention to the date and time stamps I'll be putting at the top of the page. This will start the snippets of the three or so years I'll be skipping. I'm not sure how many there'll be yet (I have 7 planned so far) but I'm sort of lacking on ideas so if you have any, suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks guys! Hope you enjoy it!**

**

* * *

**

_**December 24**__**th**_

"Shit. Damn it!" Booth shouted. He hung up the phone and started to pace. Brennan came out of the bedroom and looked at him with concern.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

Booth shook his head. "Pops and Jared's flight got delayed. They said the storm is worse than they expected. They might not be able to come in until a few days after Christmas. Shit. This sucks!" He flopped down on the couch and put his head in his hands.

Brennan walked to the couch and sat down next to him. "Things will work out. We can have Christmas a few days late if we need to. I don't mind waiting to open presents."

He looked up at her with a childish grin. "But I don't wanna wait!" he fake whined. She smiled at him and kissed him.

"Mmm, are you done wrapping my present yet? I wanna carry you off to bed," he mumbled into their kiss. She shook her head slightly.

"I'm not done yet. I have several presents for you. But why do we even need the bed? Won't the couch suffice?" she asked, brushing her lips across his neck. The feeling of her breath and her skin made him almost lose it right there but he only guided her to lie down on the couch and he climbed on top of her, simultaneously pulling off her shirt.

She nibbled on his lower lip and pulled it into her mouth at the same time.

"Oh, I love it when you do that," he told her, his voice lower than usual, "You drive me crazy, Bren."

* * *

_**December 25**__**th**_

"Bren! Wake up! Wake up!"

She groaned, rolled over and pulled the blankets over her head. "Booth, it's," she peeks her head out and looks at the alarm clock, "only ten thirty. Lemme sleep."

"Bren! You've slept for…about six hours now! We gotta get up!" He yelped and bounced on the bed, trying to annoy her.

"Booth, if you hadn't kept me up all night I'd be up already." Her voice was thick, groggy and sleepy.

"You weren't complaining last night," he said in her ear, his voice again low and suggestive.

"I'm not getting up yet!" she stated and pulled the blankets farther over her head. She could feel him jumping on the bed and she was getting annoyed, which she knew meant he would win if she showed it. So she tried ignoring the movement but there was no way she could go back to sleep now. But when it stopped, she was surprised but she didn't complain.

Brennan moved the blankets back down to her shoulders and slowly opened her eyes.

There was a Booth lying next to her on the bed, but it wasn't her Booth.

"Jared!" she screamed, "What are you doing here? Booth said your flight got delayed!"

Jared laughed so hard he rolled off the other side of the bed. "Sorry, I scared ya, Bren. It was pretty funny, though," he said, still laughing.

She smiled and thanked whatever god Booth believed in that she had decided to put clothes on before she fell asleep. She ran her fingers through her hair and walked out into the living room. Booth was there, laughing with Hank.

"You should've told me they were here," Brennan gently scolded Booth. He only smiled at her and Hank stood up to hug her.

"How did you get here?" she asked him.

Hank shrugged. "The airlines were making that storm a bigger deal than it was. We decided to drive. It wasn't that bad anyway. Plus, the hotel down the road was going to give up my reservation if we didn't show up. It was a pretty sweet deal; I couldn't pass it up."

She smiled at him and sat next to Booth on the couch. Jared was staring at their little tree.

"Who picked this out? Charlie Brown?" he joked.

It was a small artificial tree, no bigger than three feet high. The ornaments were few and far between and the angel on top was made from popsicle sticks and a few cotton balls.

"Don't make fun of our tree, J! I love it! I made the angel myself," Booth boasted.

Brennan was confused. "I don't understand. Do you know someone named Charlie Brown?"

* * *

Later, after Hank and Jared went back to their hotel room, Booth pulled Brennan into their bedroom.

"I have one more present for you," he told her, digging through the closet, "I'm not sure if you'll like it and I'm not sure if it'll mean anything to you but every little thing helps."

He pulled out a small box. Brennan sat down on the bed as he handed the gift to her.

"What is it?" she asked quietly. She was looking the box over. Brennan knew it was a jewelry box but she still didn't understand.

Booth chuckled. "Just open it."

She flipped open the lid. It was a medal, not unlike the one she had given Booth last Christmas.

Brennan looked up at him, confused. "You know I do not believe in saints."

Booth shrugged and said, "Well, yeah, but maybe you should believe in this one."

"Why should I?" she countered.

He smiled at her. "That's Saint Anthony. The patron saint of missing persons and lost things."

"Okay…" she understood why he had given it to her: her parents.

"Bren, every time I say a little prayer or even the entire prayer to Saint Anthony, whatever I lost shows up. Like the other day, when I thought I lost my Saint Sebastian medal, I said 'Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, please come down. Something's lost and can't be found'. Fifteen minutes later, I found it on the kitchen counter. I'm not saying he'll help you find your mom and dad, but he'll keep them safe."

She smiled sadly at him. "If you believe in him, than I guess I can try to believe in him as well."

Brennan put the medal on and silently said Booth's prayer.

"Thank you," she whispered. Her eyes watered and Booth pulled her into a hug.

He began rocking her back and forth. "Do you ever think about looking for them?" he asked.

She sighed and looked up for him. He wiped the tears away for her before she said, "I've never thought about it until now. But I guess we'll just let Saint Anthony figure things out for now."


	29. A life to look forward to

_**May 12**__**th**__** (End of Sophomore year)**_

"Maybe we should think about…resigning the lease…" Booth said casually over breakfast.

"Hmm?"

Booth shrugged. "Well the lease will be up by the end of July and if we don't resign, we have to be outta here by then. We gotta sign by June first."

Brennan nodded. Maybe they should. Two years ago, when she first came to campus, she didn't even imagine that she'd be where she was: Almost done with her master's, living in an apartment, and most of all, in love with the university's star quarterback. The weekends he was gone for away games were horrible. She felt lonely in the tiny apartment and she knew Booth was constantly worried about her. He wanted to know she was safe.

"Okay, well, maybe we should think about it," she said.

"So…you'll be done with your master's soon…what's after that?"

Brennan looked up at him. She wasn't sure what he meant but she answered him honestly. "Well, I'll go through commencement with my peers during the winter break and then I'll begin working on my doctoral thesis."

Booth just nodded. "Okay…so what's after that?"

Now she was starting to get confused. Brennan wasn't sure what Booth was trying to do. Since she was having problems reading him, the only thing Brennan could do was tell the truth.

"I haven't really thought that far ahead. I would really like to go to Georgetown for my doctoral work, though. I love their anthropology program. The head of the department seems like he really knows what he's talking about. They have very good upper level cultural anthropology classes there."

Booth face fell. "Oh…that sounds nice. When are you going to go?" he asked quietly.

She could tell he was sad, but he was trying to act indifferent. Brennan was sitting across from him at their little kitchen table built for two. He was trying to occupy himself by separating the marshmallows in his sugary kids' cereal.

"I doubt I'll be going to Georgetown anytime in the near future."

That made Booth look up at her. "Why? If that's where you want to go, and if that's what best for you, you should go."

"Why are you asking me all of this?" she asked him. She could see the heartache in his eyes and he could see the passion and fury in hers. Brennan was confused, and a little scared, as to why he was suddenly asking about her academic future.

"Well…if you're leaving or ever plan to leave, I just want to know. So I can be ready."

"Ready for what?"

He sighed. "Ready so I can go with you. I mean, if you want me too."

Brennan had never been more confused. "So what you're saying is if I decided tomorrow to go finish my master's at Georgetown, you'd quit the football team and go to Georgetown too?"

He nodded. Booth was back to pushing his cereal around again.

"Why would you do that? You can't give up football! It's the reason you're here. Does Georgetown even have a football team?"

Booth only shrugged. He was afraid of pushing her away. He knew he should've approached this subject a little differently but he wanted to know where they, as a couple, were heading.

"You can't leave the team, Booth. They're counting on you. You guys were the national champions two years in a row. And all Adam and Brandon can talk about is doing the same thing again next season."

"I don't want to leave. But if you're not here, then I can't be here. I need you, Bren. I'd follow you anywhere."

Now she had no idea what he was talking about. How did they go from talking about the lease to leaving Northwestern, she wondered.

"Look, Booth, I'm not planning on going to Georgetown. It'd be nice to go there, but I can't really afford it at this point. I mean, we can barely afford this apartment and Hank is helping us. Plus, I'm on academic scholarship here for two more years. I'm trying to get as much done as I can while the university is paying for me."

"Okay," Booth said. He seemed content now. And he was, knowing she wasn't really going anywhere. Sure, she could walk out on him but at least he could find her easily. And in this town, being the national champion two years running could practically get him anything he wanted. He could find her if she left. He was just worried about her heading miles away, to the nation's capital, where he may not be able to locate her.

"Okay? That's it?" Brennan was still confused. She had thought that conversation had gone over well, but his quick change in emotion was troubling to her.

"Yeah. I love you, Bren, and I just needed to know that, for the most part, you aren't just going to up and leave. I just need to know where we're going, where our relationship is going."

"Oh…well, I'd say our relationship is continuing forward and we have a very stable relationship. We communicate on a regular, daily basis, we engage in coitus on an almost daily basis as well and we know how to maintain equal time amongst our education, ourselves and our friends."

He laughed a great big belly laugh and reached across the table to take her hand.

"Bren, you don't have to make us sound like an experiment. All you had to say is our relationship is right where it should be."

He was confusing her again. "But that's what I did say."

* * *

Brennan was on her way home from the library when she saw Angela walking toward her.

"Sweetie! Hey! I was just stopped by your place to wish you good luck on your finals but you weren't there."

"Well, thank you but I don't have finals like yours. I'm a graduate student. I only have papers due. The only things I'm working on besides grading papers are my research and thesis. But I wish you luck on your finals."

Angela smiled. "Thanks, Sweetie. Hey, I'm meeting Jack down at Jake's Pub for dinner. Do you wanna come?"

"No, thanks, Ange. I really do need to grade these papers by tomorrow. Tell Jack I say hi, though."

"Will do. See you later, Bren!"

The friends parted ways and Brennan arrived at her apartment soon after. It was dark in the apartment, meaning Booth was still at spring practice. She sat at the small kitchen table, reading over her students' papers and taking a red pen to everything she found wrong.

"Hey, babe!" Booth called as he walked in the door. He dropped his duffel bag full of gym clothes and went to see what she was working on. He stared at the papers covered in red.

"Wow," he commented, "your students aren't doing so hot."

Brennan grimaced. "They should know by now how kerf marks are made and how to determine the height of an individual from a tibia. This is insanely frustrating."

Booth sat down across from her. "Bren, you're teaching Introduction to Forensic Anthropology. You can't expected them to know everything. They're only freshmen."

"Booth, some of these students are in their fifth year of their undergraduate education. They should know how to research and write papers by now. This work is not conducive to a college environment.

He smiled at her. "Not everyone is a genius like you, babe. Not everyone can be almost done with a master's degree by the end of their second year of college."

Brennan rolled her eyes. "That's because I go above and beyond the average student. I'm taking several more semester hours than you are and teaching two classes."

He walked to her and kissed her on the cheek, letting his lips linger as he pulled back.

"So what exactly are we doing this summer?" Booth whispered.

Brennan didn't respond and focused on grading those papers. Booth followed her with his eyes as he moved around the kitchen making popcorn.

"Bren! Hello? I'm asking you something here!" he shouted playfully.

She finally looked up at him. Brennan was annoyed. "Booth, I'm trying to get these papers done by morning. Can we please talk about the summer later?"

Booth shook his head. "Now, please." He yawned and stretched his arms. Tossing the bowl of popcorn on some of her students' papers, Booth sat across from her. Brennan quickly gathered the papers to keep from getting the insane amounts of butter Booth had added from getting on the papers she had already corrected.

Brennan gave up and put the papers away. She sat back in her chair and stared him down. "So why are you demanding to talk about summer? You shouldn't even be thinking about your break until after finals are over."

Booth shoved a fist full of popcorn in mouth and said, "I wanna know what we're doing. We need a vacation. _You _need a vacation. You work and study non-stop, Bren! We should go somewhere warm…with a beach. Florida! Or maybe Cali! Oh, come on, Bren! Road trip! We always have fun on road trips!"

She shook her head. "I have wasted too much time. I really should've worked last summer. I could be done with my master's by now, you know. I would like to get a least half of my doctoral research completed before you graduate. Plus, I don't take classes over winter break so I can go watch you play football. That is a vacation enough for me."

Booth knew she was trying to be nice and it was always hard for him to be upset with her. But he wanted to spend time with her without constantly talking about her Homo rhodesiensis research.

"Maybe you and the guys from the team could take a trip," she suggested.

"I'm not leaving you in Chicago all by yourself. Plus, I'd be really bored without you. I don't want to go on a vacation without you, babe, please. Let's just go somewhere."

"No." She picked up her papers and moved into the bedroom, spreading out the papers in an organized fashion. She began to correct a fresh paper again as he followed her.

Booth knew it would be a hard fought battle but he was determined to at least get her thinking about the possibility of a vacation.

"Aren't there places you'd like to travel to? Someplace far away that you want to visit before you die?" he prompted. "What do you want from life?" Booth gave her the vague question as an afterthought. They had never really talked about their life after college and Booth had recently found the urge to know if her life after her four years at NU included him, something he desperately hoped for. He knew he had found her, he had found _the one _for him but she hardly ever talked about anything but school. Booth needed to know what she wanted, if anything, after their college career at Northwestern was over.

"What exactly do you mean?" It caught Brennan's attention and she made room in her pile of papers for Booth to sit and talk.

"Besides anthropology and your education, is there anything else that would bring great meaning to your life?" he hoped there was more than just her favorite school subject but Booth doubted it. He was worried he wasn't good enough to have at least a small role in her life. He looked at her and waited, almost impatiently, for her to answer.

"Well, I would like to travel to the important areas around the globe that important anthropological discoveries have been made, but I could assume that would fall under the broader category of schooling."

She thought for a moment longer, and with a smile she added, "Italy. And Ireland. I've always wanted to go to those two countries. The pictures always make it look so beautiful. Greece, too. And perhaps Australia. I'm not too picky when it comes to traveling to places I've never been before. I'm still excited every time we go to Philadelphia. Our New York trip with Ange and Jack was quite delightful as well."

Booth smiled. He was happy to know there were other places she wanted to go that she didn't automatically associate with death and old skeletons.

"So what else? Like…what's your dream job?"

She shrugged. "Being a professor would suffice, assuming that I would still be doing research."

Booth nodded. "Okay…well how about…finding your mom and dad? Ever think about that?"

"All the time," she confessed. "I just don't remember anything about them that would help us find them. Mom was a bookkeeper and dad was a teacher. Matt and Christine. It's not like there was anything extraordinary about them. They were normal people until they left just like that. It's not like they were cops who had enemies."

"Well, it's a start. Maybe…we could try looking for them. I'll help you look if you want but I don't want to fight like we did about my mom. You think about it. Decide if you want to look for them; I mean _really_ think about it. We could look into finding Russ again too. We have an even better idea of where to look for him! Hollywood, right? Trying to score some odd jobs around movie sets or something?"

Brennan nodded and smiled at him. She couldn't believe she was even _thinking _about looking for mom and dad. It almost scared her. But she couldn't decide right then if she didn't want to because she was scared of what she'd find, or because she was too mad at them for leaving.

"Why are you asking me all of this?"

Booth kissed her quickly, not wanting to get distracted. "I just want to know every tiny, insignificant detail about you, what you think, and what you want," he told her

She made a few marks on the paper in her and shoved the rest aside, moving to lie down next to him. Booth was on his back and she cuddled up to his side, resting her head on his chest.

Brennan started absentmindedly playing with his Saint Sebastian medal and asked, "So what else do you want to know?"

He didn't answer right away. Booth thought hard about his next question. "When you leave NU, where do you want to go?"

"Haven't thought that far ahead yet. I have a few ideas but without a PhD, I'm not the first candidate for the jobs."

"Tell me."

"Well, there's just basic museum jobs. The Field Museum in Chicago would be nice and I really like the anthropology program at Arizona State. The professors down there seem quite knowledgeable. I like the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Remember when we went there? And the Jeffersonian in D.C. has a quite extensive collection of members of the Hominidae family and their subcategories. I'm not sure yet though."

"So…" As much as Booth wanted to know about her career path, he found the subject boring and very far over his head. He really did care about where she went after college but she tended to talk to him like she would to a professor when the subject of anthropology came up. What he really wanted to know was about their life, their future together.

"I don't really know what to think about my future anymore. I didn't think I was going to fall in love with someone. I didn't think anyone would really love me the way you do. I had plans. And they all involved me being alone. I never expected to have someone like you in my life. But now that I do, everything's changing. Instead of trips to Nepal and India for research, I'm thinking of kids and getting married, things normal people think of," Brennan blurted out. She blushed and buried her face in his chest.

"Why do you say it like that?"

"I don't know what you're saying…"

"Like you're not normal. You're acting like thinking of the future isn't normal. Wanting to get married and have kids is natural. I think about it all the time," Booth told her.

"You do?"

_Uh oh, _he thought. This could go either really well or really bad. Booth had finally gotten to where he wanted. He wanted to know if Brennan wanted the same thing he did: a family, something neither of them really had.

"Uh…well, yeah. I mean, not necessarily soon but eventually, I want to get married and have kids."

She didn't respond. Booth couldn't see her face but he was worried about pushing things too far. Though they had been together for almost two years, they were each other's best friends and Booth knew long ago she was the only one for him.

"I think I do too."

He sat up quickly, forcing Brennan off his chest. Booth turned to look at her as she lay back down. Booth knew Pops would think two years together was a little short to be proposing but now that's all he could think about. Rings, white dresses, and black tuxedos were running through his mind like crazy.

Booth noticed Bren was grinning wildly and her face was redder than a red delicious apple.

Booth lowered himself on top of her gently and kissed her deeply. It drove her crazy when he did that. She took his face in her hands and kissed him back even harder. She lost control and tore off his shirt.

"Bren, what about those papers?" he said, running his hands up her shirt.

"Screw 'em," Brennan mumbled and worked on pulling off his belt buckle.

**

* * *

A/N: Sorry, this took a little longer than I thought. I wanted to get their talk just right. Let me know what you guys think! Your feedback is always appreciated!**


	30. An achievement to celebrate

**_End of Fall semester (Junior year)_**

"Congratulations, Ms. Brennan, on finishing your master's. Where are you planning to do your doctoral research?" Ray Garnett, head of the Northwestern anthropology department, asked her. Brennan had decided to forgo the big hoopla of the commencement ceremony and just pick up her diploma from the head of the department himself. He was a nice man. Dr. Garnett wasn't teaching anymore, mainly doing administration things but Brennan had formed a nice bond with him during her part time job in the anthropology office.

"Well, I've talked to the academic scholarship department and they've agreed to let me use the money to fund researching so I can stay in the area."

Dr. Garnett nodded. "You like it around here?"

"Of course. I grew up in Illinois," Brennan told him, hoping it would satisfy his question.

He nodded again. "So it has nothing to do with your boyfriend?"

Brennan blushed. "Um, no, sir," she fibbed. Booth said little white lies never hurt anyone despite the fact she didn't believe in lying in the first place.

"I know you're dating Seeley Booth. Everyone on campus knows," he told her. She blushed even more.

"Temperance, don't do what I did when I was your age. I'm glad you're focused on your studies. You are the most intelligent, and youngest, doctoral candidate this university has ever seen. But don't push away the most important people in your life because you love to learn. Granted, I'm not saying to push your studies completely off to the side but you should live a little before you become too invested in your research. Just…don't do what I did."

She looked around Dr. Garnett's office. She studied the pictures on the shelves behind him. They were of Dr. Garnett in very faraway places, places Brennan would love to go to some day. But he was alone in every picture, unlike the pictures that covered her apartment of her and Booth together. Being alone was something she wasn't sure she could handle now that she had Booth in her life.

"Do you understand what I'm getting at, Ms. Brennan?" Dr. Garnett asked.

Brennan nodded. "Of course, sir. You are saying to continue to study like I have been but to have fun as well and not to take my loved ones for granted." The old professor smiled at her and congratulated her once more on her insane amount of success at such a young age.

* * *

She walked into the diner later that night and found Booth, Angela, Jack, and some of the guys from the football team were sitting in the back corner. Brennan followed Booth's laughter back to their spot.

"What's going on? I thought it was just going to be me and you having dinner," Brennan said to Booth. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her.

He kissed her and said, "Well, I thought we'd celebrate just a little bit. Have a little party. Our place isn't big enough for everyone."

Brennan rolled her eyes and took Booth's seat. He pulled up another chair from a nearby table and sat next to her. After their dinner and several bets on how quickly Bren would get her first doctorate, Wanda, their favorite waitress, brought out dessert.

"What is this?" Brennan looked to Booth for an answer. Wanda, who made Brennan's favorite red velvet cake, brought out a whole cake and placed it in front of Brennan.

"I decorated it!" Booth boasted. The white frosting was decorated with blue, sloppy words saying _Congrats, almost Dr. B. _The _congrats _was sloppier than the rest and it looked like it had been smeared and fixed a time or two. "I tried writing congratulations but then I realized the cake was too small to fit the entire word. I got all the way to the U when I hit the end, so Wanda helped me scrape it off," Booth whispered in her ear.

Wanda chuckled and sliced the cake. "Ya know, sugar, you could've made the whole word fit if you hadn't started in the middle of the cake." Everyone laughed and went at the cake faster than a snake at its prey.

Brennan excused herself and went to the counter for a glass of milk. Wanda saw her approach and poured the milk before Brennan even asked.

"Thanks, Wanda. You read my mind," she said, smiling at the waitress.

"Sugar, I know you and your honey better than the back of my hand…when it comes to food, anyway," Wanda told her.

"Yes, you do. And thank you for the cake. It's lovely."

Wanda started walking away but said, "He loves you, sugar, more than you realize. I hope you're in it for the long run 'cause he's in it for life."


	31. A good surprise

_**Spring semester (junior year)**_

"Thanks for agreeing to help me, Adam. You know how suspicious Booth can be so I'm sorry if he gets mad at you. But whatever you do, do not tell him about the party."

Booth's friend nodded. "Your secret is safe with me, Bren. This is going to be one kickin' party…as long as Booth doesn't ring my neck for hiding it from him. Or for talking to you."

Brennan laughed. "I'll make sure he doesn't kill you. Plus, he knows he'll need you next year if he wants to keep the national title streak going. You two are the most formidable duo in college football history. Now, I'm no football expert but you two are going to be the best. Ever."

Adam laughed this time. "Well, thanks, Bren. But all I do is play football. They pay for me to learn so I figure…the least I can is win a few football games."

The wide receiver walked Brennan to the door. When they opened it, Booth was standing on the other side of the threshold.

"Bren?" Booth was surprised to see her with his best friend. He was extremely confused as to what was going.

"Booth. Uh…what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Adam was gonna give me a ride to practice. What are you doing here, Bren?"

They stared at each other, not breaking eye contact until Adam broke the silence.

"Uh, Seel…we gotta go. Practice starts in ten. Bren, we can drop you off at your place on the way."

"Sure, that'd be nice. Thank you, Adam. Come on, Booth."

Brennan walked around Booth toward Adam's car, nudging him on the way, but Booth's eyes never left Adam. Despite the fact that Adam played football, he was a small guy. As a wide receiver, Adam's small stature helped him move quick on the field but it didn't give him much leverage against Booth. Booth's height and bulk compared to Adam's scared the shit out of him. Adam smiled nervously at his best friend and followed Brennan.

Booth was suspicious that his girl and his best friend were hanging out. Alone. In his empty apartment. While he was supposed to be in class.

He trusted Brennan with everything he had but something wasn't adding up right to Booth.

* * *

Practice ended early that day and Adam knew Brennan, Angela and Jack wouldn't have the apartment ready in time. Adam saw Booth head into the showers and he followed quickly.

"Hey, man! I gotta question for ya! You wanna go down to Shorties for a burger?"

"Yeah," Booth shouted over the running water, "give me five minutes."

Adam was going to drive by Booth's apartment to see if the signal was up. Brennan was going to put a lit candle in the kitchen window.

Booth finished his shower quick and the boys took off for Shorties for a fast dinner. Surprisingly, the candle was lit in the window when Adam drove them by and he kept their dinner short.

"Dude, why are you so desperate to come up to my place?" Booth questioned when Adam was adamant about coming upstairs.

Adam shrugged and blushed. He kept pushing Booth up the stairs.

"You want my girl, don't ya, Adam?" Booth questioned, "You have the hots for Bren!"

Adam blushed again. "Even if that's true, man, I know she's yours and I am _not_ getting in the way of that."

Booth laughed. "So why are you coming up to my place?"

"Just to see your girl," Adam laughed and pushed Booth up the stairs.

Booth stood in front of the door listened closely.

"Did you hear something?" Booth asked his friend. Adam just shrugged but he knew he had heard Angela giggle and Brennan _Shh _her.

Booth opened the door and flipped the light switch as he walked in.

"_SURPRISE!_"

People shouted at him and Adam busted up laughing behind him.

Booth looked back at him, trying to look pissed but he couldn't help but laugh.

"Happy birthday, man," Adam said between laughing fits.

When Booth looked back into the apartment he shared with Brennan, she was standing in front of him, wrapping her arms around him.

Brennan kissed him and he didn't hesitate, even though the entire football team was behind her.

The guys hoot and hollered when he pulled Brennan back after she released him.

"Happy birthday, Seeley," she whispered in his ear. Brennan smiled at him and Booth grinned back.

"Hey, Seel! You gonna go get us a keg now? You're twenty-one now, ya know!" his friend, Brandon, asked jokingly.

"You can go get it, man. I'm not gonna get in trouble for giving the little freshmen on the team liquid gold," Booth told him with a laugh.

Their little one bedroom apartment was packed and people were spilling out onto the sidewalk below and going in and out of the grocery store they lived above.

Hours late into the night, people emptied the apartment and headed down to the campus bars for more late night fun.

"What are you still doing here?" Brennan asked Booth. They were the last two left in the trashed apartment.

"I'm going to help you clean up and then we can go out."

Brennan shook her head. "No, go with the guys. I've got this. I'll see you in the morning."

"No, if I'm going out, I'm going with you."

Booth hugged her tight and she breathed in his scent, something she desperately tried to memorize as much as possible, like Greta Garbo had memorized the room in the inn in _Queen Christina_. It was Bren's favorite Garbo movie and Booth didn't understand why she loved watching old movies except that it was something she used to do with her father.

They had gotten nowhere fast on the search for her parents. With Booth's criminology major, he made it his project to submit to the head of the criminology department to use the search for Matt and Christine Brennan. Getting the go ahead on the search from the department meant Booth could use funding to help find them and he could earn course credit at the same time. Brennan had refused to let him search for her parents if it was going to take away from his academics. This was the only way she would agree to let him help. But every lead went nowhere. The high school her dad had worked at burnt down and they had lost all records on Matt. Finding where her mother had worked was the hardest. They found nothing on that front and they hit a dead end. Brennan was surprisingly okay after the search ended. She was upset that they had tried and failed but she didn't expect much either.

"We'll I'm not going out," Brennan told him, "I have class at seven tomorrow."

Booth didn't say anything but he held onto her still.

"Thank you," he said finally, "That was a good surprise. Is that what you were talking to Adam about earlier?"

She nodded and said, "I was afraid you'd get upset that I was there. I didn't want to get Adam in trouble, but I needed him to make sure you didn't come home too soon."

He laughed. "Well, I was a little suspicious when it was just you two at his apartment but it all makes sense now."

Brennan looked up at him and kissed him. "I love you. Happy birthday, Booth."

"Thanks, baby. I love you, too."


	32. A purchase to change history

**A/N: I just wanted to thank all of my faithful reviewers! There are a few readers who review almost every chapter! So, thank you! You guys are wonderful! :D**

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_**End of summer before senior year**_

"Adam, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, buddy, what's up?"

"Listen, I need you to take me and Jack to the mall. And I need your help. I'm…picking something up for Bren."

"Yeah, no problem. What are we getting?"

"I'll tell you when you get here. Jack's at my place and we're meeting Ange and Bren at the diner later. We gotta go quick though."

"Okay, I'll be there in a few."

"Thanks, man."

Booth hung up the phone and sat on the couch next to Jack.

"So, you never did really tell me why we're going to the mall," Jack said. Booth was hesitant to tell him where they were going exactly.

Angela and Brennan were in the bedroom getting ready for a night out. Since Angela had just turned twenty one, she was itching to get into the bars with her real ID instead of her fake.

"Okay, I'll only tell you if you keep your damn mouth shut," Booth warned, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jack nodded and leaned closer to Booth.

"You know that jewelry store in downtown Chicago right off of Michigan Avenue?"

Jack nodded again.

"That's where we're going."

Jack kept nodding, not sure exactly why, besides the fact that he was getting a present, Booth wanted to keep things hush-hush.

They heard Adam honk the car horn out on the street below.

"Bye, girls! Have fun tonight!" Booth shouted, pushing Jack out the door.

Angela and Brennan stuck their heads out of the bedroom door to see where they were going. Booth slammed the door shut without looking back.

"So where are we going exactly?" Adam asked when Booth slid into the passenger seat.

"Head downtown. We're going to that swanky jewelry store," Jack answered for Booth.

"Are you for real? Can you even afford that place, Seel?" Adam looked at him, his eyes darting back and forth between his friend and the road.

Booth shrugged. "I've been saving up for a while and Pops is helping Bren and I with the rent so I can probably get almost anything for her…within reason, of course."

* * *

The minute the boys walked into the jewelry store, the manager assumed trouble.

"Can I help you?" the short, skinny man said as he approached them. For the most part, the trio could've taken out the manager in one fell swoop, which was the man's worst fear but as soon as Booth spoke, all of his fears went out the window.

"I need to get an engagement ring and these guys are here to help."

"Oooooh! How exciting! Okay, so tell me what she's like? Is she, you know, sort of high maintenance or is she down to earth?"

"Down to earth," Adam spoke up, "Bren's not high maintenance at all. She's the opposite, really."

"Shut up, man. You're making her sound homely," Jack said, punching Adam lightly in the shoulder.

"Both of you shut up and let me find something," Booth growled.

"She's…simple. I just want something simple. Nothing flashy or showy."

The manager nodded and moved to a display case. "You'll want a plain band, then. And maybe, a single diamond?" He pulled a few rings out to show Booth and the quarterback immediately saw the perfect one. It was a white gold band with a round diamond perched on top. Booth pointed to it and asked for the price.

"This one specifically is five thousand two hundred."

"Dollars?"

The manager nodded and gestured for Booth to keep his voice down.

"Um…do you, uh, have anything like that? I can't afford that," Booth said once he had his voice under control.

The manager nodded once more and pulled out another set of rings identical to the first, just with smaller diamonds.

"This one is about eighteen hundred. This is probably about as low as you're going to find here for an engagement ring," the manager told him.

Booth looked to his buddies for help but Adam just shrugged and Jack nodded his head in encouragement.

"Man, I honestly don't know why you brought us with. We're no good at shit like this," Adam told him.

"Booth, if you think Bren's gonna like it, then she will. She'll love anything you pick out," Jack added his two cents.

"I'll take it," Booth told the manager. The man wrapped up the box and took Booth's money. They walked out to Adam's car.

"What now?" Adam asked.

"Now, I just gotta figure out how to propose," he mumbled.

Adam and Jack started hypothesizing about how Booth would propose.

"Man, how awesome would it be if you had one of the coaches on the sideline hang onto it for you and then, as soon as we win the title again, you proposed, right there, right in front of everyone, the news and everything? Just like that guy from Boise State when they won a smaller bowl game a few years back!" Adam got excited.

"No, he can't copy some other dude!" Jack shouted. Booth tuned them out, especially Hodgins, who was going on about how he should do something late at night on the beach of Lake Michigan.

"It has to be perfect. Something that will show Bren how serious I am about us," Booth said.

The other two laughed. "Well, of course you're serious about you two," Adam said.

"Otherwise, why would you have gotten a ring?" Jack added.

Booth rolled his eyes. They didn't understand. For Bren, it needed to be perfect, or she might not say yes.


	33. An almost perfect carriage ride

_**One week before Christmas of senior year**_

"Booth! Have you seen my scarf?"

"No, did you check the disaster zone?" he shouted back from the kitchen. Booth was getting two travel mugs ready with hot chocolate. Sweat was rolling down his face.

Booth was already dressed to go outside, bundled up but still making them hot chocolate.

Brennan opened the closet door but it only went half way. The piles of shoes, jeans and shirts on the floor of the closet prevented it from opening completely. She tore things out and threw them on the floor behind her.

"Booth! I need my scarf! I'm not going outside without it! My nose will fall off!" Brennan yelled. Booth appeared in the doorway and laughed at the mess.

"Babe, it was stuck between the couch cushions. Plus, you of all people should know you're your nose won't fall off. You're gonna clean that up when we get back, right?" Booth joked, holding her scarf. Brennan got up and snatched the scarf from him.

"Where are we going anyway?" she asked, pulling the scarf around her neck.

"I can't tell you. It's a surprise. Here," Booth said, handing her the tall mug of hot chocolate, "We have a long walk in the snow."

"What? Where are we going, Seeley?" Brennan was getting frustrated and a little mad that he was being so secretive.

"Well, first, we have to walk to Adam's. He's going to let us borrow his car, but that's as much as I'm telling you."

She grumbled and wrapped the scarf around her mouth and nose. The walk to Adam's apartment was normally a decent walk but the blowing snow not only made the sidewalks slippery, but also made them hard to see. They knocked on Adam's door and the wide receiver handed Booth the keys as soon as he opened the door.

"There's one thing though," Adam said before Booth took off, "The heater broke last night. I can't get it into the shop until after the holidays."

"No worries. Are you still okay with us taking it for the day?"

Adam nodded and said, "I don't need it today. I'm tired as hell, man. I'm sleeping today."

Booth shouted his thanks as he ran to the car. Brennan was not too happy that he was easily excitable today, especially since she knew they were going to spend most of their time in the cold.

* * *

"I'm out of hot chocolate," Brennan whined. They had been in the car for almost two hours and it was only slightly warmer inside the car than out.

"We're almost there. I'll get you more hot chocolate as soon as we get there," Booth promised.

"Get to where? We're in the middle of nowhere!" Brennan shouted at him.

Booth just laughed. "Just a few more minutes, babe. We'll be there in no time."

She rolled her eyes and turned up the radio. Every station was playing Christmas music and there was no way to escape it. Brennan normally hated music like that. It was just a reminder of what Christmastime usually meant but this time, she just wanted to drown out the howling wind outside.

Like Booth had said, no more than three minutes later, Booth turned the car down a long, winding driveway lined with pine trees on each side.

"Where are we?" Brennan shouted over the music.

Booth reached to the dashboard and turned off the music.

"We're here," he said simply.

"Where is here?"

Booth laughed. "We're at a tree farm, genius. We're gonna get rid of that nasty fake tree and get a real one."

"Oh. That's your big secret?"

Booth nodded and pulled into the gravel parking lot. There were a few other cars but the farm seemed mostly empty. A young man bundled like they were came out to greet them.

"Hey guys, you coming to pick up a tree?" he asked.

"Well, we gotta pick one out first," Booth told him. The kid nodded.

"Okay. The ones that are ready are way out back. You'll have to wait until my dad gets back with the last group if you want a carriage ride out there. I'm sure you guys don't want to walk. It's quite a ways out," the kid informed them.

"We'll wait. Is there a place we can warm up? My girl here is freezing."

"Follow me." The kid led the way to a large barn. Brennan scoffed at it. To her, it looked like the wind could blow it right over.

Walking into the barn, Brennan was warmed up immediately. There was no way she was going to take off her coat but it was warmer than she had been all day, which was definitely a relief. Booth took her mug to the concession stand as she took a look around.

There was a corner for a small petting zoo with goats and lambs and another corner where a man dressed as Santa sat, talking to a small girl.

Booth stood at the concession stand, waiting for the young girl behind it to fill their mugs with fresh hot chocolate. Glancing over to Brennan, he noticed she was occupied with the assortment of wreaths and Christmas decorations. He shoved his hand into his pocket where he was keeping the ring.

_Shit, did I leave it at home?_ He thought, _Shit. It's on the bathroom counter. Shit. There goes that plan. Guess I should've thought of a proposal back up._

He was disappointed but realizing there was no way either of them were going to be willing to take off their gloves in this weather, maybe it was better that he put it off.

The girl handed Booth their mugs and Booth paid.

"Give me mine," Brennan demanded. She scared him, not knowing she had snuck up behind him.

Booth smiled at her and looked out the open barn door. The wind had slowed dramatically and it was now only snowing lightly.

"See," Booth told her, "We came at just the right time. It's not as cold anymore."

Brennan rolled her eyes and smiled. The horse-drawn carriage pulled up to the barn and the old famer, after helping the family off the cart, pulled a tree off the back and rolled it to their car. The farmer helped the other man strap the tree to their car and the family took off, the two children in the back seat singing carols.

It reminded Brennan of her childhood, which she now looked back on with fondness rather than revulsion. Booth had helped her move past the animosity of the fact that she was abandoned. He believed things happened for a reason. Had her parents not left, who know where she'd be. She could've gone to some other college and they wouldn't have met, which is something Booth practically refuses to talk about.

"It is very pleasant out now," Brennan commented.

"Okay, you folks lookin' for a tree?" The farmer stood behind them, waiting for them to load the carriage.

"Yes, sir," Booth told him and followed him to the carriage, guiding Brennan along with him.

Booth offered her a hand up, but she swatted it away.

"I can get up on the cart on my own, Booth."

He rolled his eyes and gave up. "I know you can. I was just trying to be a gentleman."

The farmer, who didn't hear their exchange, offered his hand to Brennan, who was struggling to reach the first step. She took his hand and hoisted herself up. "Thank you," she told him.

Booth sat down next to her and muttered, "I thought you could get up on your own."

She elbowed him but he barely felt it though all of the layers he was wearing.

"It's a bit of a ride out to the field. There's a few blankets under the bench if you two need a few more layers," the farmer said over his shoulder.

Booth did just that and spread out a thick wool blanket over her legs. She smiled up at him and shared the extra layer with him.

"You know, Pops, Jared and I used to do this all the time."

She looked confused. "Ride horse-drawn carriages?"

Booth laughed. "Well, sort of. Before Pops' car, he had this big pick up, and we would go out to a tree farm outside of Philly and get a tree."

"Did you guys quit going to get trees?" Brennan asked.

He nodded. "You know how little Pops' car is. It's too small to hold a car on top. Adam's car is kinda pushin' it, but we should be fine to get it back."

"Okay. This is nice, Booth. Thanks for bringing me here." She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

As Booth wrapped his arm around her waist, he knew in the back of his mind that this moment would've been perfect to give her the ring if he had brought it. But to him, right then, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was her and the fact that she was happy.


	34. A paranoid tendency

**A/N: Okay, I'm sorry about this but there is just **_**one **_**more chapter before the big moment. But I need to know what you guys think: after this little fast-forwarding bit, do my readers want an angst story line or a fluffy story line? I'm taking a vote so it's up to you! Thanks!**

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_**First week of classes (spring semester of senior year)**_

"Angela, I have a question for you."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Do you know anyone that would be willing to make a few extra bucks tonight? We need extra people for the club event?" her boss said.

Angela nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure I can find someone."

She was sitting a table in the Campus Events office, working on flyers for upcoming events for the rest of the year. Angela was a fan of working, even if it was something sort of artsy, but she needed the money for some weekly glug glug woo hoo.

Jack walked into the Events office and immediately saw his girlfriend, her back to the door, sketching out some flyers.

"Hey, Angie. How's it going?" he asked, standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her.

"Hey, there. I'm exhausted. And I still have to work tonight," she half turned in the chair and in his arms to kiss him.

"I don't want you to work tonight. I want to hang out with you," Jack told her.

"Well, you could! We're short a person tonight for the clubs event. You wanna help out? You'll get paid too," Angela told him, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Ooh, that sounds good! What exactly is the clubs thing anyway?"

"Most of the clubs on campus set up booths in the event center and kids come to see if they want to join any of them. It's kind of boring if you're just working at it but its practically free money so why not?"

"I'm in, but only because you'll be there."

Angela smiled. "Meet me at the event center at six."

* * *

"I don't care if I don't get paid. You couldn't even pay me enough to stay here and work! This is just the government's way of roping young, naïve kids into their grasp, but not me, baby! No way!"

Jack stormed out of the event center, almost knocking over Brennan on his way out. Brennan cautiously made her way in and found Angela apologizing profusely to her boss.

"I am so sorry! I had no idea he was going to freak out like that."

"Angela, what's going on?" Brennan asked.

"Ugh, sweetie, I have no idea. We needed help with staffing tonight and I asked Jack if he'd help out but as soon as he walked into the main room, he flipped out and started rambling on about how the government is all about spying on us no matter where we are," Angela told her as they walked into the main room.

The booths said it all: _Young Republicans, Northwestern Democrats, _and dozens of other political groups that had been present in campus life for years. Brennan was still confused.

"So what made him freak out? All of these clubs have been approved by the Office of Student Life and haven't done anything wrong," Brennan reasoned.

"I know, sweetie, but ever since he took that class last semester on the history of American government and politics, Jack's constantly yelling at the chick on CNN or FOX News. He's fine, otherwise. I'm just not sure why he's like this all of a sudden. But, who cares, really. He's still fabulous in the sack," Angela grinned.

"Ange, I do not want to hear about that. But Booth's been acting strange too. I'm not sure what's going on but he won't tell me and it's kind of scary."

Angela noticed Brennan looked sad and upset, something Angela had never really witnessed from her friend before.

"You don't think he's cheating on you…do you? Because if he is, I will whoop his sorry little ass to next Wednesday," Angela vowed.

"I doubt that. We spend most of our time together and I would know if something was that bad between us. He's just acting…jumpy. It's weird," Brennan said quietly.

Angela nodded. "Have you just talked to him?"

Brennan shook her head. "I've tried. But Booth just makes some excuse or changes the subject. It's quite odd if you ask me. And he's always fiddling with something in his pockets. I've noticed that, lately, when he's nervous or something, he shoves his hands into his pockets and starts to sweat."

"You don't think he's trying to break up with you? Because if he is, I'd beat him to it so you're less likely to get hurt."

Brennan's face paled at the idea of losing him.

"I, uh, I'm gonna go talk to him," Brennan said, standing up and running out the door.

* * *

"Booth! Seeley Booth, we need to talk!" Brennan shouted as she burst into their apartment.

"Bren? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Booth stepped out of the bathroom, steam flowing out from behind him and a towel hanging loosely around his waist.

The sight made Brennan weak at the knees but she wasn't about to let him change the subject.

"What's going on with you?"

Booth sauntered over to where Bren was standing and slowly unzipped her winter coat and pulled her shirt off. She was doing her best at not staring at the perfect specimen of a man standing in front of her but when he started kissing her neck and let the towel drop, she completely forgot about the question she had just asked him and pulled him to the bedroom.

* * *

Booth chuckled just a bit when he woke up. He was lying next to Brennan, who was still sound asleep after a few satisfying go-rounds. She was snoring lightly and to Booth, it was incredibly cute. He looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was telling him it was way past dinner time and he had class in a few hours. He slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Brennan.

He waited until he had the bathroom door completely shut before flipping the light on. Booth opened the bottom drawer of the vanity and rummaged through his travel bag of toiletries. He had been keeping her ring in there, knowing she never went though that drawer.

Booth stared at the ring for a few moments and practically jumped out of his skin when Brennan knocked on the door.

"Booth, are you done in there? I need to go too," she said from the other side of the door.

Booth quickly put the engagement ring back into its hiding spot for the night. He normally carried it around in case an opportunity arose but every time he thought he should ask her to marry him, he chickened out.

He closed the drawer and walked out of the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" she asked, noticing a worried look on Booth's face.

"I'm fine, babe. Come back to bed soon."

She nodded and walked into the bathroom. After shutting the door, she quietly rummaged through the drawers. Brennan was puzzled when she found nothing out of the ordinary, despite having heard Booth shutting a drawer and not using the bathroom.

Assuming she was hearing things, she went back to bed, to the man she loved, hoping she would do this for the rest of her life.


	35. A perfect proposal

_**April of senior year**_

"Bren, are your eyes closed?"

"Yes. And I also have a blindfold on. Are you going to tell me where we are? I've had this blindfold on for almost a half hour. Are we there yet?"

Booth laughed and took of the blindfold.

"The Navy Pier?" she asked.

Booth nodded. "I love this place. You've been here before, right?"

Brennan shook her head. "I've always wanted to though."

He laughed. "Oh, baby, we are going to have so much fun!"

They walked up the pier holding hands in silence for several minutes before either spoke.

"So what do you want to do first?" he asked.

Brennan just shrugged. "I'm not sure what there is to do."

"We could…play miniature golf. Or go on some rides! We can do almost anything until the fireworks start. What do you want to do first?"

"Um, golf. But you're gonna have to show me how swing the bat because I have no idea what I'm doing," she told him as he pulled her along. He laughed and pulled her into a kiss.

* * *

"You're not scared of heights, are you?"

"No…uh…why would you, uh, say that?"

"Your hands are clammy and you're getting the sweats. Booth, are you okay?"

Brennan grabbed both of his hands and stood in front of him.

"We are going to ride the Ferris wheel. It'll be fine. Come on, let's get in line," she told him.

For April, it was unusually warm and the line for the Ferris wheel was long. Booth shoved a hand into his pocket and immediately started fumbling with the ring. He was going to propose tonight but it was finding the right moment that mattered to him. He was, by no means, scared of heights but he was just scared as hell of what she'd say.

When they were finally at the front of the line, they sat in the gondola by themselves. It was getting late and the sun was beginning to set. Looking one way, downtown Chicago buildings lit up the skyline. But looking the other way, Lake Michigan seemed to never end. Both views were beautiful and Booth couldn't have been more nervous. He wanted this to be the moment but something was holding him back.

"It's gorgeous," Brennan commented.

"Mmmhmm," he mumbled. The movement of the Ferris wheel was making him nauseous. Or maybe it was the thought of her saying no.

"Are you okay, Booth? You look sick."

Booth smiled at her and that was enough to get the worried look off her face.

"No. I'm fine. This is the best date we've ever gone on, if I do say so myself."

She laughed. "It does rank pretty high among the others," Brennan teased.

"I love you, Bren." He wanted to continue with '_marry me_' but he couldn't get it out.

"I love you, too."

* * *

The sun was gone now and the sky was dark. Booth and Brennan were walking to the end of the boardwalk to watch the fireworks. Their night was almost over and Booth still hadn't asked the most important question of his life.

They reached the end as the first explosion sounded and the sparks lit up the sky.

_Just ask her, Seeley. Damn it, just do it already,_ he told himself. _If you don't ask her now, you'll never ask. Don't be such a pansy._

"Bren?"

"Yeah?" she responded, not taking her eyes off the sky.

"Marry me." _Shit. Did I really just say that? Shit. Get out the damn ring, dumbass. _He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the box. He opened it and showed her the ring.

"What?" Brennan couldn't believe what she was hearing. Never in her life did she think she would hear those words. She eyed the ring and then looked up at Booth. _That's why he's been acting weird. He's nervous, _she thought.

"Marry me," he said again. "I love you. And I always will. I can't even imagine my life without you. So…marry me." _God, I sound like an idiot._

"Are you serious?" _Of course he's serious. He wouldn't be asking me to marry him if he wasn't serious. Shit, I sound like an idiot asking stupid questions like that._

"Of course I'm serious." _Oh shit. This is not going to end well. Shit. _

"Okay." _Okay? Shit, Temperance. Okay? That's all you can say? Shit._

"Okay?" _That's a yes, right? She just said yes. Holy mother of God, she said yes!_

"Yes. Let's get married." _Oh god. I'm getting married. _


	36. A future she didn't expect

_**Third week of May, two days before the graduation ceremony (senior year)**_

"Babe, we gotta talk about this. You can't avoid me forever."

Brennan said nothing and continued to make her salad. They had gotten into habit over the last few years of living together to make dinner together, even though she refused to eat his hamburgers and he always stayed away from her salads.

"Bren, please. Just talk to me about this. In three days, I'm going to Georgia and in August, you're going to Washington. I need to know where we stand on this since you obviously wouldn't marry me before I leave."

She dropped her salad tongs and stared him down. "You don't get to pin this on me. I am doing what's best for me. You decided to join the Army without telling me! And then, not even two weeks after asking me to marry you, you decide to tell me about it and the fact that you're leaving for training after graduation. For two months! You'll be gone for two months! And you haven't even told me what you're doing in Georgia. But I've researched it. You're going to Ranger School, aren't you? I figured it out about four days after you told me you're going into the Army. I waited for you to do the right thing and tell me what was going on but you didn't even bother."

"Bren, please, just hear me out, okay? I wanted to tell you. I was stupid. I know you wouldn't have agreed to marry me if you didn't want to but I had it in my head that, if I told you, you'd leave. Adam kept telling me that's what would happen. And now everyone is upset because I'm not going pro like they thought. I'm giving up millions of dollars a year here, Bren, to do what I think is right for me. I could be playing football for the rest of my life. But this, the whole Army thing, is what feels right for me. I know this is what I want. I want a career helping and protecting people rather than entertaining them. Please don't be mad at me."

Brennan didn't want to be mad at him. She hated being mad at him. But he was hiding things from her.

"Let's actually sit and talk. I'll finish your salad for you, if you want. Go sit."

She followed Booth's instructions as he finished tossing her salad.

"So since you're the one that wants to talk so badly, why don't you start?" She hated the way she sounded so bitter.

Booth hated it too. It made him cringe to hear her talk to him in that tone but he knew she was right. He knew he should've told her about the Rangers back when he signed up but Adam told him not to tell her until Booth was sure she would take it well. He just hadn't expected Adam's plan to backfire.

"If I knew they were going to send me to training right away, I wouldn't have signed up…right away. I've wanted to join the service for a while. It's just something that I've…felt needed to be done. Pops was in the Army and now I feel like I should do the same, you know, like a family tradition sort of thing. I'm not saying I would expect our kids to do the same but Pops was in the service to protect his country and his family and now I want to do the same."

"I just wish you would've told me sooner. I'm not saying I would've gone to Georgia with you but we could've figured something out. I'm sorry I got so upset with you. But why did Adam tell you to not say anything to me? You know I love you. You wanna move to Alaska? You'll have a bit of a fight from me but if that's what you have your heart set on, fine, we'll work it out. What I'm saying is…you don't have to keep things from me. If we're going to get married, you can't keep things from me."

Booth looked nervous. "Adam said you'd be mad that I'm not going pro."

She was confused. "Look I don't care what you want for a career. If you want to play football, that's fine. But if you know you don't want to spend your life getting tackled to the ground by men twice your size, why should I stop you? I don't blame you. Plus, your joints, muscles and bones are going to be thanking you for giving them a rest after so long."

Now Booth was confused. "You don't care that I won't be making millions of dollars a year? If I stay in the pro draft, I could be a first round pick. Teams would pay big bucks for me. You don't care that I'm going into something that's not going to pay all that well?"

Brennan just shrugged. "You do what makes you happy. If it's not football, okay by me. Did you really think I agreed to marry you because you would be making a lot of money?"

"Not me! Adam said so. He said most guys on the team have gold digger girlfriends. I know you're not like that but he kinda freaked me out. I was just scared of losing you."

She laughed a bit. "We'll I'm not going anywhere so deal with it. You're kinda stuck with me now." Brennan smiled at him, hoping to loosen up the conversation.

Booth smiled too and said, "But now what? Even if you can handle being an Army wife, I just don't want to be separated from you for a long time. And what if I get stationed really far away? How are you going to finish up your doctoral stuff? You're so close to finishing your dissertation. I'd never make you give that up."

"I know that," Brennan told him, "We can make it work. Like you said, I'm close to the end of my dissertation. Once I have it reviewed and challenge and it is accepted, I'll follow you anywhere. I can find something no matter where we are, even if it's just teaching, we can make it work."

Booth heaved a big sigh. "I love you. And thank you for not being incredibly pissed that I didn't tell you sooner."

"I still am pissed. You should've told me. But you did tell me, so that counts for something. Plus, you know I can't stay mad at you for long."


	37. A feeling she'll never get used to

**A/N: Hey there! Sorry for such a long time between updates. You'll never guess who had a tad case of writers' block...ME! Oh and I was a bit distracted by that you know, little insignificant incredibly _amazing _game between the US and Algeria this morning! AHH! My brother cried. No joke. It was amazing. But here it is, the next chapter. The time stamps will still be there for a while; I haven't exactly decided where/when they'll stop. But anyway, please enjoy and let me know what you guys think :)**

_**

* * *

August after senior year**_

Brennan looked around her new apartment and sighed. Packing and moving alone was not her first choice but the Army extended Booth's training by another month, meaning she was moving to D.C. on her own. She had been living in D.C. for a few weeks alone, which didn't thrill Booth.

She was just happy she had finally finished unpacking. But it still didn't feel like home yet.

She was alone. And she hated that feeling…not that she couldn't take care of herself.

But she still wasn't used to having an empty apartment. Booth had found them an apartment in D.C. and promised to help her move in. Neither of them expected Booth to be the best in his class and be recommended for further training. It was an opportunity they both knew he couldn't pass up.

The new apartment was smaller than their one in Chicago but she knew they couldn't afford anything like their old one. The Georgetown neighborhood was expensive, too expensive for one doctorate-bound anthropology student and one Army ranger, so a small apartment, where the kitchen, living room and bedroom were all in the same room, was all they could afford.

She lay on the bed and stared at her surroundings. Brennan could see every corner of the apartment from where she was. Admittedly, it was a step down from where they had been, but once she had her dissertation challenged, was awarded her doctorate, and found a good job, they could move out and into a bigger place.

_Maybe a house. With a yard in a good neighborhood with schools close by, _she thought.

She wasn't sure exactly when she had seriously started thinking about a family, but it probably started the weekend before she left for D.C. when Angela took her dress shopping. Standing in wedding gown after wedding gown was really when things started to set in for her.

She hadn't found a dress. She really wasn't thrilled with the dresses Angela had picked out for her either. Brennan wasn't one for giant ball gowns and layers of tulle and organza. She wanted simple.

_Nothing is all that simple._

Her life wasn't simple. She should be living with her fiancé and she shouldn't be worried constantly that he was going to be sent away to war without giving her any warning.

Brennan wanted to be angry at Booth for choosing this career path, angry that he would give up a life of ease for a life of danger. But she loved him more than anything and she'd give anything to make him happy.

The phone rang and Brennan jumped off the bed to answer it. She leapt over the couch, around the kitchen table and slid on the kitchen tile to grab the phone by the third ring.

"Hello?" her breaths came out in pants from racing to the phone.

"_What are you wearing?"_

"Really? We haven't talked in almost two weeks and that's the first thing you say to me?" she tried to sound upset but her laughs ruined the charade.

"_I miss you, Bren."_

"I miss you, too, Booth. When are you coming home?"

"_Soon. I think."_

"They still haven't told you? Ugh, I hate this, Booth. I know this is what you want but I miss you. And…I have…biological urges that need satisfying! I want you to come home."

He laughed loudly. _"Trust me, that will be the second thing that I'll do when I see you."_

"What's the first?"

"_Saying hello. Duh. Wow, for a genius, you really don't get the proper way to great someone."_

"Will you please just ask someone when you get to come home?"

"_Bren, this isn't like college. I can't just talk to my bosses like you talk to professors. Plus, if I come to D.C., it might not be for long. I'm in active duty, babe. Not the reserves. I'll probably be stationed somewhere."_

"I don't know what that means."

"_That means we should've gotten married before I left for training like I wanted to. I might get stationed across the country. Or I might get shipped out. Who knows, Bren? But there's not going to be any good time in the near future to get married."_

"Oh, so a spontaneous wedding down at city hall would've been better?"

"_I don't want to fight with you, babe. All I'm saying is, and I really do hate to say this, that you might have to go longer than a few months without me."_

"Why?"

There was no answer for a long time but she could hear a lot of talking in the background.

"Hello? Seeley?" She hated using his given name. It didn't sound right to her but she wasn't in the greatest mood at the moment either. She just wanted him to come…home wasn't the right word for where she was living. It wouldn't be home until he was there.

"_Sorry, Bren, I gotta go. Look, I'll call you when I can."_

"Wait, what's going on? Just tell me what's going on."

"_Bren, we're getting debriefed on something but that's all I can tell you. I'll call you tonight if I can. I love you."_

She sighed, knowing that was the best she was going to get from him. "I love you, too."

She heard the click of the phone on the other end being placed on the receiver and did the same. She hated not knowing what was coming next.

* * *

"_Bren, sweetie, listen to me, it's probably not as bad as you think. You're just overreacting. Just keep telling yourself that. He'll call soon. Just don't worry, sweetie."_

She knew Angela was right. After a good, solid cry, Brennan picked herself up and called her friend. She was embarrassed that she would let herself cry over something that was, so far, completely trivial.

"_Don't worry, Bren. Private First Class Studly is going to call you back and he's going to tell you he's coming home soon. Then, you can have your way with him and everything will go back to normal."_

"I know, Ange, but…"

"_No. No 'buts', sweetie. Just calm down and have a beer or something. He'll call."_

"Yeah. I know. I'll talk to you later. I need to go pick up some groceries."

"_Okay, sweetie. Take care, okay? Call me when you talk to Booth."_

The two said their goodbyes and Brennan left for the grocery store. She ran through a plan in her mind of the quickest route to and from the store and the quickest route in the store to pick out what she wanted. Based on her plan, she estimated she wouldn't be gone for more than forty five minutes but that was too long in her mind.

Less than a half hour later, Brennan approached the door to her apartment. Struggling with the bags in her hands and the key still in her pocket, she thought she heard the phone ringing through the door.

Brennan shrugged it off, thinking she was too impatient for his call and worked on getting the key out of her pocket. She set the bags on the floor in the hallway to free a hand. Without the jostling of the paper bags, the shrill of the phone came through the door loud and clear. She burst through the door, leaving her groceries out in the hall.

"Hello?"

"_Twice in one day you answer the phone out of breath. Are you constantly working out or something?"_

"Booth. Hi."

"_Hi, babe. Do you have a minute to talk?"_

"Give me a minute. I left the groceries out in the hall. Hold on."

She set the phone down on the counter and ran to get her food. She set all the bags right inside the door, not bothering to take them to the kitchen just yet.

"Okay, I'm back. What's going on?"

"_I'm shipping out in two weeks. I'll be in D.C. in two days and I have to be back down to Fort Benning the day before we leave. Will you call Pops and tell him for me? I wanna use all my phone time for you."_

She felt like she had the wind knocked out of her. "Shipping out where?"

"_I can't say."_

"Seeley, I need to know."

"_I'm not allowed to tell you, Temperance." _Now he was mad. They never used their first names toward each other but it was even rarer for Booth to call her anything other than Bren. _"I'm not allowed to tell anyone."_

"Fine. How long will you be gone?"

"_I don't know all the details yet, Bren. But you'll know as soon as I do…if I'm even allowed to tell you."_

"I hate this, Booth. I really do." She knew she shouldn't have said that the moment it left her mouth.

"_I know. We'll talk as soon as I get there. Don't forget to call Pops. Maybe me and you can have a few days to ourselves and then Pops and Jared can come spend some time in D.C. with us."_

"Yeah, I'll call him in the morning."

"_You know I love you, Bren. I just want you to know that."_

"I do know that. You tell me all the time. And I love you, too."

"_You're still mad though, aren't you?"_

She didn't answer.

"_I'll see you in a couple of days, babe. I might not be able to call before then, but I'll see you when I get to D.C. Call Pops, okay? I love you."_

"I love you, too," she repeated before she hung up. Ignoring the bags of groceries still sitting by the front door, she dressed for bed and climbed in. It was still early and Angela would probably tease her for going to bed so early.

But it was something Brennan needed to do.

She was going to have to get used to sleeping alone.


	38. An unorthodox way to welcome him home

_**The next morning**_

"No, Pops, I'm sorry, I don't know when he'll be here tomorrow…I could call you when he gets here…it's only a three hour drive from Philly…Okay, I'll let you know when he gets here…tell Jared I say hello…Okay, bye."

Brennan hung up the phone and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She was headed down to the anthropology research building on the Georgetown campus. As she reached the research building, she heard someone calling her name.

"Temperance! Wait up!" She turned and saw her favorite professor running toward her.

"Professor Stires? What are you doing here?"

Michael Stires laughed. "You don't have to call me professor any more, Temperance. Doctor will suffice…or Michael if you really want."

"You never answered my question."

He smiled at her. "I'm here to…take a look at your dissertation."

"Can you even do that? You are credited in my paper as my advising professor. Isn't that like…playing favorites?"

Michael shook his head. "Nope. You'll be given a doctorate from Georgetown, not Northwestern. Apparently, they're allowing me to challenge it. If you're awarded the PhD, you'll surpass me as the national expert on Homo rhodesiensis. So…I'm here to protect my ego."

She rolled her eyes. "So…you're here to destroy my ego?"

"Something like that. I have a question for you, Temperance."

_I am not in the mood to put up with your ego, Michael. I have work to do, a class to teach and a fiancé to prepare for, _she said to herself.

"What is it, Professor?"

He cringed. "Don't think of me as your teacher any more, Temperance. Think of me as…your peer."

"You still haven't asked me your question yet. I have students waiting for me."

"Let's have dinner tonight."

Brennan stopped in the middle of the stairway leading to her classroom.

_Say something, Bren! You have a fiancé. You cannot go on a date with your professor. That's…illegal…or something. Unethical! That's the word. _

She did nothing but held up her left hand, displaying her engagement ring perched on her finger.

"Besides, Michael," she started, practically spitting out his name, "You never asked me a question."

"You're marrying the football player? Wow, Temperance…uh…good for you, I guess. Congratulations. It'll never last though. He's not the kind to be tied down. Don't fool yourself," he shouted after her as she stalked off.

_I'll show him. I'll be better than him at…well, everything._

* * *

She sat, yet once again, alone in their apartment, red pen in hand, grading endless papers and correcting countless errors. She was restless; once she had that doctorate, she could go anywhere she wanted and teach anything she wanted.

There was a knock on the door and Brennan resented that she actually had to stop what she was doing.

"Angela?"

"Hi, sweetie. You sounded really stressed on the phone yesterday. Are you okay?"

Brennan couldn't believe her best friend was standing in front of her.

"I'm…fine. What are you doing here?"

Angela shrugged. "Well, you sounded upset on the phone and I missed you and Jack said he wanted to come visit you and Studly anyway. Well…I guess just you since Booth isn't here."

"Where is Jack, anyway?"

"Downstairs in the car. Come on, we're taking you out for a beer. You need some alcohol right now, I can see it in your eyes."

Angela had a firm grip on Brennan's hand and wasn't about to let go.

"But I have wine in the fridge. Ange, I have papers to grade and I have to get ready for tomorrow. I don't want to have a hangover when Booth shows up."

Angela stopped when she was halfway to the door. "Bren, cancel class tomorrow for your students. They'll love you for it. You don't want to be teaching when Booth shows up. Plus, I'll pick out an outfit for you that'll make him go crazy. Serves him right for leaving for so long. You know why you're all stressed? You haven't had sex."

"No, Angela, I'm stressed because I have to defend my dissertation on Friday and my old professor is here to tear it apart. He asked me out today. And if that wasn't bad enough, he's playing brain games with me."

"Brain…oh, you mean mind games."

"That's what I said. He told me Booth and I wouldn't last." Her voice became smaller the more she talked.

"Oh, sweetie. Have you seen the way Booth looks at you? He'll never leave. Not purposefully, anyway. Come on. You've been here a while; what's the best place around here for a nightcap?"

"Ange, I've been two, well, three places, in D.C.: campus, the grocery store, and the Jeffersonian. So we might have to do some exploring."

Angela laughed. "Don't worry, sweetie. Give me twenty minutes and I'll find us a swanky, sophisticated place to drown your sorrows."

There wasn't much Brennan could do but follow her friend wherever she wanted.

* * *

Four hours and three bottles of wine later, Jack and Brennan helped a staggering Angela out of Founding Fathers, a small pub they discovered not too far from Brennan's favorite museum.

"Studly is gonna regret that he has to leave you for so long. I mean, look at you, you're hot. And I mean that in a totally friendly way. Right, Jack? She's hot, right?" Angela's words slurred together and Jack and Bren shared a look of oh-good-lord-what-did-we-get-ourselves-into.

"You can answer that, baby. I won't be mad," Angela mumbled as Jack helped her into the front seat of his car. The ride to her apartment wasn't a long one but was full of the rantings of one drunken artist who claimed to be an expert on the ways of love.

"You can just drop me off at my building, Jack. There's no reason to leave Angela alone in the car. Who knows what kind of trouble she would get into?"

Jack smiled as he pulled up to the apartment building. "Thanks, Bren. We'll call you tomorrow."

Brennan nodded and looked up at her building. She could see her unit from where she was and noticed the lights were on.

_I'm pretty sure I turned everything off. We can afford the electricity being too high._

She darted up the stairs knowing the old elevator in the building would take several minutes to deliver her to her floor.

Brennan exited the stairwell on the fourth floor to find her door cracked open.

_Shit. I thought I locked it. Well, there's not that much in there to steal anyway. Unless they want those things my students call proper research papers._

Sliding her keys between each finger, Brennan readied herself for an assault. She had to admit, using her keys to punch someone wasn't quite like having Booth with her but she knew she could fend for herself.

"You really ought to put a deadbolt on that door. I picked the lock in less than a minute."

Her heart leapt as soon as she heard his voice.

"By the way, those groceries you left by the door…pretty gross, if you ask me. Even I know soy milk needs to be refrigerated."

Brennan was frozen in the doorway. She looked him over as Booth sat on the kitchen table, wrinkling and crumpling her students' papers. His hair was practically gone and he looked thinner than when he had left.

"Hi, babe. Long time, no see." He swiftly and quickly made his way to her. Looking her over, Booth noticed she was incredibly thin, more than she had been when he left for training after graduation.

"Hi." She could barely talk. Brennan missed him but she didn't know if she could take the tension between them. She had been so used to not seeing or hearing him that both, at the same time, was insane to her.

"Remember what I said the second thing I would do when I saw yo-ˮ

Brennan pulled him toward the bed and began to take off his fatigues.

"Mmm, Bren, I've missed you," he mumbled, his mouth working its way down her neck.

"Shut up. No talking. Not yet."

He chuckled. "Yes, dear. So if we're not talking, what are we doing?"

"Satisfying a few biological urges. Then we talk."

* * *

**A/N: As I told one wonderful, faithful reviewer, it'll probably get worse before it gets better. So...hang on, don't worry, there's going to be plenty of fluffy B&B coming...after a little angst-fest.**


	39. A night full of bargaining

_**Twenty minutes later**_

Both struggled to regain their steady breathing and stared at the ceiling, neither daring to look at each other or say anything before the other.

"So…" Booth started, attempting to break the awkwardness between them. He used the sheet to wipe sweat from his brow and chest and offered it to Brennan, who took it and used it in the same manner.

"We're going to get evicted for noise violations, Booth."

He laughed. "Don't even start to complain. You took charge the moment we landed in the bed."

Booth rolled on top of her, dropping small, light kisses to her bare shoulders. She smiled at him and closed her eyes, relishing in the moment.

"Let's stay in bed all day tomorrow," Booth suggested, moving his way lower on her body.

"I already cancelled my classes tomorrow," she confided in him. Booth gave her his charming Booth-y grin and continued to shower her skin with his gentle touch. Brennan shivered and used all the willpower she still had to continue their conversation.

"I'll make you a deal," she bargained, "if you tell me as much as you can about where you're going, we'll stay in bed until…late afternoon. And we still have to call Pops."

Booth thought about it for a moment, abandoning his quest for another round of romping with her.

"I'm going to Latin America. For at least three weeks. That's all I can tell you on what I really know at this point. But they already told me that, if the mission is successful, we'll get a month of paid leave before we have to head back to Georgia for more training."

Brennan smiled and wiggled around in the bed. She flipped them, so now she was looking down at him, her hair surrounding both their faces.

"So you better have a successful mission then. I want an entire month with you…all to myself."

A throaty laugh escaped him. "Yes, ma'am. So I was thinking…maybe we should set a date." The suggestion made Booth nervous. He knew her fight or flight response might kick in, even though she wasn't really in any danger, except from maybe herself.

"Uh…okay. What weekend do you know _for sure _you'll be back here?"

"I don't know." _Wow. I thought for sure she'd say forget about it._

"Well, we can't plan a wedding if we don't know when it is." _Wow. I never thought I'd be saying things like this._

Booth sighed. "You have a point. Should I just ask for some unpaid leave in a few months? Or do you want to wait until the spring?"

"I've never actually thought about it. Can I make another deal?"

He nodded. _Oh, great. Here goes her flight response. She's gonna find some way out of it. Shit. This really blows. This whole Army gig screws everything up. _

"Let's forget about this. Just for now. Let's spend the day together, hang out with Pops and Jared, I'll take care of my dissertation thing the day after and then…then we can plan." _I get he thinks I want to leave, that I'm looking for a way out. Shit. I can't screw this up. The Army's doing that for me already._

"Deal! Now…are you going to let me show you how much I love you?"

"Only if you keep your voice down."

* * *

**A/N: Bit of a filler but I needed to sort of set up what was coming. Plus, it gives me more time to plan the wedding! :) Did you guys really think I was going to break them up? Come on, I'm not _that _mean! :)**


	40. A moment to set her plans in motion

_**Two days after Booth's arrival**_

"Do I look okay?"

"You look fine, babe. You always look wonderful."

"Do I look…like a professor? Do I look like a Dr. Brennan?"

Booth laughed. "Yes, you don't need to worry, Bren. When I see you this afternoon, you'll be Dr. Brennan and I'll be engaged to the youngest professor in the history of…ever. Now, go, I don't want you to be late."

She grabbed her keys and bag full of copies of her dissertation and graded papers for her class. Brennan was planning on taking everything and anything that would prove she was ready for the step up in the academic world. She knew they doubted her because of her youth, but she was ready to fight for her research. She was going to be the national, perhaps international, expert on her favorite member of the genus Homo.

Before she realized it, she was approaching the Anthropology building on the Georgetown campus. She was mounting her defense in her head; she knew this research could turn out to be controversial in an anthropological sense but she believed beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she could dethrone her former professor as the leading national, and possibly international, expert on Homo rhodesiensis.

"Temperance!"

She knew that voice. It was one she was going to have to get used to for the rest of the day.

"What do you want, Michael?"

"Whoa there. Isn't that a little informal for the situation?"

She scoffed at him. "Two days ago, you were begging me to call you by your given name. Sorry if I offended you, _Dr._ Stires. Excuse me if I'm a little short with you since you're about to destroy my research that I've given my last two years of my life for."

"You know that's part of the process, Tempe. I have to be here."

"Even if that is the case, you're here for two things: to save your ego and to get into my pants. You're going to fail on both missions, professor. Deal with it."

She left him standing there as she stormed off to the lecture hall to defend her future.

* * *

"Congratulations. Your dissertation and research has been accepted."

Four hours later, Brennan couldn't believe she was hearing those words. She knew that was just the beginning for her. She had big plans for herself, academically, and even bigger plans for her and Booth. She knew these plans were just that: plans that may not be completed as expected but she was well on her way.

She hurried out of the building and saw her family there waiting for her. Pops and Jared had come down the night before and Jack and Angela were still in town for a few more days. Booth stood in front of everyone, a new set of fatigues looking freshly pressed covered him, the thick material and long sleeves making him sweat in the August heat.

They looked worried. Brennan had assured them that at most, the challenging would last only two hours. She had been worried too. Stires risked his academic reputation time and time again, saying that her dissertation should be declared unacceptable and that she should be removed from the program.

"Okay," she said.

"Okay?" Booth was concerned.

"So…" Jack motioned for her to continue.

"Sweetie, I think we all want to know what happened."

"They accepted my dissertation. I'll be in science books and anthropology journals. And…the best part…Michael isn't the best anymore, I am." She was beaming and Booth had never seen her happier.

"I don't know what all of that means, Dr. Brennan, but I think it's time to go celebrate," Booth shouted, mid hug.

"Good. I haven't been out on the town here yet. Bren, what's a good place for celebratory drinks?"

"I heard Founding Fathers is pretty good," Jack added, giving Brennan a knowing look.

Angela was the first to head for the cars, muttering about how no one in this town knows how to have fun. The large group followed her, Booth and Brennan making up the end.

"Congrats, babe. I'm proud of you. So…now can we start some of that pesky wedding planning stuff?"

She smiled at him and took his hand in hers.

"Tonight. I would really like to stay away from Angela's input. I love her but…" Brennan exhaled, "She's got ideas and plans for us that are insane. I'd elope before I let her plan our wedding."

"So let's elope." _Shit. She's going to freak out._

"I'm sure Pops wouldn't like that. He wants to be there for us. He loves you too much."

"I know. You're right. I just don't want to wait any longer. I just want you to be mine forever."

"I already am."


	41. A promise they both intend to keep

_**Two weeks later**_

"You know this means we'll technically be closer to each other than if we were still in the states."

Booth nodded. They still couldn't agree on a day. Or a church. Or the flowers or the cake or anything else they needed for the wedding. Their days together were full of debates, as Brennan called them, over the wedding and making love until they were on the verge of severe dehydration.

He didn't really care that their routine had been the same day in and day out. He was just glad he could spend time with her before they shipped him off to whatever godforsaken country to kill people. This was exactly what he had signed up for when he joined the Army. The recruiter had made things sound…nice. But then, that is their job, to make death sound…okay.

She had been invited to go on a dig, as part of more research for her next dissertation. The details of this dissertation made Booth's head spin so he wasn't planning on asking for too many details, just what he needed to know, like where she was going and for how long.

"I never told you where I was going. I said Central America yesterday and I shouldn't have. You get too many details, and you could be in danger, you…we could be risking national security. I'm not telling you details for your own good."

She waved off his concern. "I'm not going to tell anyone you're going to Guatemala." Her hands slapped over her mouth, trying to hold the words in. He had been talking in his sleep the last few nights and every night he begged his staff sergeant to send him somewhere 'warmer'. Brennan thought he sounded ridiculous and the dreams were quite funny to her, but she knew she wasn't supposed to know _exactly _where he was going. She didn't want to get him in trouble with his bosses and she didn't want to put him in danger.

But it secretly thrilled her to know where he'd be, because it meant they'd be closer to each other. Proximity was all that mattered to her. She had been invited to go to Guatemala as part of her dissertation research on the cultures that still put their dead in mass graves. She knew this line of research could be dangerous. She was also going to have to go to Africa and Eastern Europe but she was just excited to be in closer proximity to him. Like his mission, the dig was only for three weeks; the Guatemalan government wasn't going to permit them to be there any longer than that. It was dangerous there and Booth knew that. There was a reason his battalion was being sent there.

"_What_? What did you just say?" He was furious, more at himself than her for letting the sensitive information leak out.

" Look, Booth, you know I won't say anything. And it's comforting to me, knowing we'll be in a closer proximity there than we would be in the states. I know it might be wrong, but I'm glad you said it."

He sighed. There wasn't much he could do. She already knew and as much as he hated to admit it, what she said about them not being all that far apart did mean something. He could get to her faster, God forbid, if anything happened.

"So when are we getting married, then?" he changed the subject. He didn't want to even think about anything happening to her down there.

She walked away from the kitchen table, where they had pictures of floral arrangements, churches in the area, tall, towering cakes and a calendar laying out, all supplied by Angela, who wanted the biggest role in planning the wedding as possible.

Brennan flopped down on the couch and gestured toward the calendar. "You decide. Please, don't take this the wrong way when I say it, because you're going to put a lot more meaning into it than there really is and I can guarantee you…I don't mean to sound so…indecisive or…brash, but, will you please just pick?"

"I want you to help me decide. Are you saying you don't care anymore?"

"This is exactly what I told you not to do." She stood up and walked over to him. He was still sitting at the kitchen table and was currently staring at the cake options Angela had given them.

Sitting on his lap and taking the pictures out of his hands, she said, "Of course, I care. I just want what you want. Yes, I guess I want it to be perfect. But when I was little, I never played pretend wedding. To me, it doesn't matter what either of us are wearing or what color our invitations are, I was doing this because I thought that's what you wanted. You're more…traditional than I am. I don't really care if we elope to Las Vegas or if we wear the Batik and Kebaya of the Javanese people in Indonesia."

Booth looked even more confused than he had when she started talking.

"What I'm saying is…if you want a wedding like this, then I do too. So if you want to get married in October or November, fine by me."

Booth realized what she was saying and kissed her.

"Well…it's usually cloudy the closet it gets to winter, right?"

She shrugged. "I'm not a meteorologist, Booth. I can't tell you what the weather's going to be like."

He nodded. "Let's wait until Spring. Your eyes look bluer when the sun shines on them."

She blushed and climbed off his lap. He stood up and pulled her into a kiss.

"I have to go soon," he told her.

"I can't believe they're making you leave in the middle of the night."

"They're not. It's…almost five. I need to leave in about two hours. I have to drive straight through to Fort Benning. It's a twelve hour drive. I have to be on base by seven tomorrow morning so we can fly out by nine."

She heard every word he had said but she wasn't focused on his drive time.

"I'm going to miss you, regardless of the fact that we will probably be a few hundred miles apart. Promise me you'll be safe."

"I promise," Booth whispered. He outlined the Saint Anthony medal around her neck and then looked into her eyes. "I promise, but only if you come home safe too. It's dangerous down there, Bren. That government is crazy…insane. Just be safe, okay?"

She nodded. "We'll have guards and we're taking a few reservists with us. Too bad you're not in the reserves…you could've come with me."

He sighed disappointedly. "Don't do that to me. Don't make me feel worse than I already am."

"I didn't mean to. I just don't want you to leave."

"You leave tomorrow, too, genius," he pointed out.

"True, but you're going into battle, I'm going to look at dead people."

"Doesn't it worry you just a little bit that we're both going to the same country but I'm going for war and you aren't. That just doesn't sit right with me."

She shrugged. "Well, you'll be there killing all the bad guys while I look for murders and clues into their culture. My cultural anthropology dissertation is going to be better than my physical anthropology dissertation!"

Booth smiled sadly. "I know. I'm just…scared. I just want you to be safe. I know you'll have guards there but don't do anything…dumb. And that shouldn't be too hard for your, considering you're a genius doctor."

"You have to leave in two hours?"

He nodded. "Can we just hang out and…talk? I'm not going to get to see or talk to you the entire time we're gone."

"We can do anything you want," she told him.

"Let's…dance." He walked over to the stereo and turned on the radio. Booth took her in his arms and swayed them gently to the music.

"Just think…in three weeks, we'll have a whole month to ourselves…to do whatever we want."


	42. An anxious bus ride

_**Middle of September (One week left of dig/mission)**_

"Start brushing off those remains. Be sure to be extra careful with the cranial vault; I'd like to have a reconstruction done on a few victims."

"Right away, Dr. Brennan."

Despite her age, the other students working under her seemed to take to her as an authority figure relatively easily. A few other professors who had gone on the trip as well were nervous how some of the grad students, who were at least four years older than Brennan, would take to her. But she imitated Booth's charm smile quite well and it seemed to be working out for her so far.

They only had a week left in Guatemala and Brennan was ready to get home. She became more and more anxious as their leave date approached.

"Dr. Brennan? Can I speak with you for a minute?" Brennan heard the voice of the head coordinator of the project, Dr. Kent. He motioned for her to follow him to his office, which wasn't really much. It was a large tent with a makeshift desk and piles of papers.

She followed him, shouting over her shoulders to several other students who seemed to be slacking on their work. They passed a few Guatemalan guards who were there to make sure…well, she really wasn't sure what they were there for, but they kind of scared her. There were a few reservists there but they were scattered few and far between.

Standing in the tent was another man who dressed like the reservists but seemed oddly out of place.

"Dr. Brennan, this is Corporal Mauer," Dr. Kent introduced them. She shook the soldier's hand and the moment she did, she had an awful gut feeling.

_No. Stay calm. Stay rational. Technically, since we're not married, they wouldn't send a chaplain to me; they'd send him to Pops. Gut feelings are Booth's thing, not mine._

"Dr. Brennan, you are Private Booth's emergency contact?" Corporal Mauer asked.

She nodded.

"Since he is direct combat and cannot leave, you are the next closest family to relay this information to. Hank and Jared Booth have been in a severe car accident. They are both in intensive care in Philadelphia. I have instructions from Private Booth to take you stateside with me."

"I thought Corporals were higher ranked than Privates. How come he told you what to do?" Brennan countered. She really did not want to believe what this man was saying.

"I have no say in family matters, ma'am. He asked me to take you back to the states."

"It'll be alright, Dr. Brennan. This dig can continue on without you," Dr. Kent told her.

She shook her head. "This is research for my dissertation! I could be set behind for months if I don't complete my research."

Kent sighed. "Dr. Brennan, I have agreed to be the advising professor on your dissertation. I'll file the necessary motion and file the required paperwork and we can alter your dissertation to accommodate this…occurrence. Don't worry, Temperance. We'll make it work. Go pack your things. Good luck."

Brennan knew she wasn't going to get anywhere by arguing with Dr. Kent. She knew she went to Georgetown for a reason. The faculty there was much more rational that the faculty, mainly Dr. Stires, at Northwestern.

"I'll only be a few minutes," she told Corporal Mauer and returned only after tossing her things haphazardly into her bag and giving a few of the students last minute instructions.

Corporal Mauer and Brennan said nothing to the other until they reached the temporary Army base near the coast.

"Don't wander off too far," Mauer told her, "I'm gonna get these guys going. We have to fuel the plane still and see who else is coming with us. Have you ever been on a cargo plane before?"

She shook her head. Mauer pulled a small bottle from a pocket. "Take some of this. It's for motion sickness. You're not going to want to throw up on that plane. It'll come right back in your face."

Brennan squirmed a bit and took a few of the pills dry.

"Stay close," Mauer ordered as he jogged off toward an oncoming group of soldiers.

The soldiers wandered from the jungle, completely dressed in Ghillie suits. It was their camouflaged suits that were made to look like the surrounding brush. To Brennan, the soldiers looked like walking trees and bushes, except for the fact that trees and bushes don't carry large guns.

She was standing in the middle of the tarmac. She felt awkward standing alone so she walked closer to the hangar and into the shade. It was hot there, the mercury reaching over one hundred.

"Dr. Brennan, we're going to have some company on the plane. Strap your bag in under the bench and strap yourself to the wall. This plane probably isn't like the one you took down here so just…be prepared for a lot of turbulence."

She nodded and followed Mauer to the cargo plane. As she was helped onto the plane, she noticed just how different it was. There was a small bench against one side of the plane, with boxes, bags and crates taking up every other bit of floor space. She shouldn't have been surprised. It was, after all, a cargo plane.

She heard other soldiers rustling around just outside the plane, a few of them stressing to make sure they had all of their belongings before boarding the plane. A few of them still had their Ghillie suits on and a few were in their normal fatigues.

Brennan placed her bag underneath the bench and strapped it in. She then did the same with herself and began to take in her surroundings. A few of the soldiers who were boarding the plane in their Ghillie suits were using moist wipes to get the camouflage face paint off. Most just wiped it off their eyes, mouth, nose and cheeks, leaving some behind, making their faces looked like they were caked in mud.

"Corporal, are you going home too?" one soldier in a Ghillie suit said. He took off his helmet covered with leaves and twigs.

"No, I'm escorting a civilian back to the states, then I'm returning to see the rest of the mission out."

"Corporal," another soldier said to him, standing outside the plane, "Private Booth is back. His mission was successful. What are your orders for him?"

Mauer glanced down at Brennan, who perked up at the sound of her fiancé's name.

"Tell him to take my spot on the plane. I'll tell the pilot to wait ten minutes. He has five to get down here."

"Yes, sir." The other soldier jogged off to find Booth.

Mauer stood up and the plane began to move. He walked to the pilot and told him to wait but to move the plane to the tarmac so they could take off as soon as Booth was on board.

She knew he would be happy to see her, but under the circumstances, she couldn't know how he would act. Apart from Brennan, Pops and Jared were the only family he had. Corporal Mauer only told her they were in an accident; he never said exactly how bad but they wouldn't have gone out of their way to come find her if they had a few scratches.

"Good luck, Dr. Brennan," Mauer said to her as he walked off the plane. The man was clearly detached to his job. Either that, or he was disappointed to not be going stateside.

"Thank you," she muttered, although she wasn't quite sure why he was wishing her luck. Mauer stood just off the plane, seemingly waiting for something.

Brennan was excited to see Booth, but as she saw him approaching, something didn't seem right about him. He was sulking, his face paint smeared across his skin.

"Private," Mauer addressed Booth. Booth stood at attention until Mauer told him, "at ease."

They exchanged a few words and Booth shouted to someone back in the hangar.

"Parker! Let me know when you get back to Georgia!"

A small, baby faced man smiled and gave Booth a thumbs-up. Booth bounded up the loading ramp of the cargo plane and yelled to the pilot that things were good to go.

"Hiya, Bren!" He plopped down on the bench next to her. He greeted her like nothing was out of the ordinary. He smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her.

"You know that civilian, Booth?" another soldier onboard asked. The guy next to him punched him in the shoulder.

"I don't think they'd be saying hello like that if they didn't know each other, dumbass," the second soldier said.

Booth introduced Brennan to the other two men on the plane with him and they soon took off. The blast into the air forced them to jerk into their seatbelts. Now she understood why Mauer told her to take that motion sickness medicine. They were shaking around and the turbulence seemed worse than anything that they would feel on a commercial flight. The noise from the engine was louder than a normal jet and was definitely louder than anything she had heard before. Booth reached under the bench and retrieved a pair of ear muffs meant to keep out the sound.

"What about you?" she shouted at him. She didn't want him to lose his hearing just because this plane engine was earsplitting.

"I'm fine. How much did they tell you about Pops and Jared?" he yelled back.

She shook her head. He shrugged.

"I guess we'll see when we get there."

* * *

They landed in Pensacola a few hours later and the Army put them on a bus to Philadelphia. It was an eighteen hour ride and Booth slept most of the way there. Brennan wanted to wake him so they could talk. She wanted to know what he did while he was in Guatemala but she doubted he'd give anything up.

Booth wanted to tell Brennan what he had done. He told her everything. But his was a matter of national security, a matter of life and death. He thought, in the back of his mind, she knew he was a sniper, or at least, she knew he would have to kill people. He was in the Army, going into combat. It should've been blatantly obvious. But he didn't want to keep anything from her. He didn't want any secrets between them.

Hours later, as they passed through Washington on their way to Philadelphia, Booth awoke and stretched his long legs as much as he could in the cramped bus.

"I've missed you," he whispered to her. She looked up from her book and smiled at him.

"I missed you, too. How was it down there?"

He shrugged. "Fine, I guess. About as good as war can be. How was your dig?"

She grinned even bigger. "Wonderful. I just wish I didn't have to leave early. But I do hope Pops and Jared are okay. We'll be there soon, right?"

Booth nodded. Thinking about his grandfather and Jared made him nervous. Not knowing how they were doing scared him but he wasn't ready to panic just yet. He noticed her fiddling with her engagement ring.

"Are you okay? You seem kind of out of it."

She gave him a sad smile. "I just can't figure out when we're gonna get married. There's never really a good time."

He took her hand and kissed it. "Don't worry, babe. I've got an idea."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! I wanted to get this part just right to lead into the next chapter! Let me know what you guys think! **


	43. A long wait period

_**Two hours later (in Philadelphia)**_

They arrived at the hospital to find Hank sitting in the surgery waiting room.

"Pops? What's going? Where's J?" Booth said as he approached his grandfather.

Hank had a cast on his wrist and a protective boot on one foot.

"He's in surgery. His whole leg is broken."

"What were you guys doing?" Brennan asked for Booth. He was getting red in the face, maybe from anger or maybe because he finally knew they were both alive.

"Jared was driving me to my eye appointment. I can't read the newspaper anymore. Damn doctor told me I need glasses and that I shouldn't drive 'til I get them. But Jared ran a red light. Jeez, Shrimp, where have you been? You look like you went rolling around in a mud pit."

"Bren and I came straight from Guatemala. All they told us is that you two were in an accident."

Hank scoffed. "Well, go back to work! And go back to digging up dead people! Jared and I are fine. I might sock him one for being stupid but we're fine."

Booth shook his head. "No, I'm not going anywhere."

"And I can't afford another flight to and from Guatemala," Brennan added. Hank just nodded and sat back down. The couple sat across from him and they soon found Hank staring at them.

"Shrimp, really, what the hell is on your face?"

Booth gave him a small grin and took a swipe at his face. "It's just some face paint. I was on a mission right before the plane left and we had to get out of Guatemalan airspace quickly so I didn't really have time to clean up. I'm gonna go find a bathroom." Booth walked away, leaving Brennan and Hank to wait for an update on Jared.

Soon after, a doctor came out of the operating room and made his way over to Hank and Brennan.

"Jared's going to be fine. We reset all of the bones, put a few pins and plates in and sewed him back up. Really, it's not as bad as it looks, but he will need some physical therapy. And he's going to be in a lot of pain for a while. We're going to try to keep him sedated so he won't have to deal with it. I'd say…about sometime this afternoon, he'll wake up."

They thanked the doctor and settled back into their chairs, waiting for Booth to return.

"How's this?" Booth asked them, gesturing to his paint-free face. He gave them a big cheesy grin and sat down next to Brennan. Hank told him about Jared and Booth released a breath he seemed to be keeping in.

"I'm gonna whoop his scrawny ass," Booth muttered. They sat in silence for a while and Hank soon began to doze in his chair.

"Booth?"

"Hmm?" He was dozing too, like his grandfather, waiting for news on if Jared was back in his room yet.

"On the bus…you said you had a plan. What is it?"

He sat up and gave her his most charming smile. Booth stood up and woke up Hank, letting him know they would be back in a few hours. He then grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Quick question: Do you have any objection to getting married in Philly?"

She was confused. "No…why?"

"You'll see," he told her as he whisked her out the door.

* * *

Booth helped Brennan out of the taxi and tossed some cash for the fare to the driver.

"City hall?"

Booth nodded and guided her to the door. They walked in and followed the signs to the license bureau.

"Can I help you?" A lady asked them as they walked into the office. She was a small, old woman who looked incredibly frail.

"We need to apply for a marriage license," Booth told her.

"We do?" Brennan asked him. He turned to her and grinned and looked back at the woman.

"I need to see two forms of ID please," she told them. Booth pulled his military ID and his driver's license out of his pocked ant waited for Brennan to do the same.

She still couldn't believe they were doing this. They didn't have anything planned. They couldn't agree on the church and of all things, he wanted a wedding pie instead of a wedding cake. They couldn't agree on anything.

"Booth," she whispered, pulling him off to the side out of hearing distance of the woman, "Are you sure? It'll expire in a month. We don't have anything planned yet!"

"I know," he said. He kissed her deeply and when he pulled away he said, "we can have a ceremony later. I don't want to wait and I can tell you don't either. Plus, if Jared's gonna be in the wedding, he's gonna have to get outta that cast."

She smiled at him and took out her passport and driver's license and said to the woman, "So…can we appeal the waiting period for the license? 'Cause neither of us want to wait any longer."


	44. A genius best friend

"We can waive the waiting period if you petition a judge. You'll just have to go down to the courthouse to find a judge that's still there. Don't wait too late in the afternoon though; most judges leave early if no one's around," the woman behind the counter said, "You need the license, this petition form and here are the forms for a legal name change."

"Oh, I don't need those," Brennan said, pushing the name change forms back to her.

"You don't?" Booth asked.

Sensing the need for yet another private conversation from the prying, eavesdropping ears of the woman, she pulled Booth aside one more time.

"I don't want to change my name," she told him.

He shook his head. "I still don't understand, Bren. You're gonna have to give me more than the fact that you don't want to."

She sighed. Brennan wasn't quite sure how to explain this to him. She knew he would probably be hurt that she didn't want to take his name and she also knew this was something they should've talked about when they first got engaged.

"Well…what do you call me?"

"Bren," he answered.

"What does everyone else call me?"

"Bren," Booth answered again.

"I just don't think I should change…who I am. I haven't been Temperance since I met you. Plus, I don't really want to have to submit a change for my doctorate either. And, I-ˮ

Booth cut her off. "Bren, I get it. I just wanted to know why. You're an independent woman. Trust me, I know that. I just wanted to know."

She smiled at him and went back to the counter. The woman stood up suddenly, afraid of being caught eavesdropping on the young couple.

"We don't need the name change forms. Thank you, though," Brennan said to her, snatching the other papers off the counter.

"Okay, Booth, you know this city better than I do. Where's the courthouse?"

* * *

They hurried down to the courthouse and Booth, becoming extremely impatient and excited, asked everyone they saw where a judge's chambers were. The courthouse was a large building, historical and regal. The giant staircase wound up the height of the building, seemingly never ending.

"Booth, he'll know," Brennan said, pointing in the direction of a security guard. Booth winked at her and jogged over to the guard. They conversed and Booth returned soon after with a big grin on his face.

"Come on, I know who we can talk to."

Booth pulled Brennan by the hand up several flights of stairs until she stopped half way up the last flight.

"What's wrong?"

Booth knew that look she had. She was processing something, something important.

"We need witnesses, Booth. The judge won't marry us without witnesses."

Booth bit his lip in anticipation. He started pacing on the steps.

"Pops and Jared?" he suggested, sounding hopeful.

"Jared won't get out of the hospital for a few days."

"Jack and Angela?"

She shrugged. "We could call them. But even by the time they get here, it'll be late."

"Shit." He sat down on the steps and put his head in his hands. "So much for my great idea. I had no clue we needed witnesses."

Brennan sat down next to him and placed her head on his shoulder.

"We might as well wait until Jared's out of the hospital," he continued.

He turned and kissed her forehead gently. They could hear footsteps coming down the stairs from behind them.

"You kids okay?" The voice came from an older, balding man who oddly reminded Brennan of Hank.

She gave him a slight smile. "We're fine. Sorry if we're in your way." Brennan stood up to allow the man to pass.

"No, no. Not at all." He spotted the papers Brennan was holding. "You kids are getting married?"

"Trying to," Booth answered, his head still down. He was disappointed in himself. He wanted this to be perfect for Bren.

"Seeley Booth? Is that really you?"

Booth looked up at the man but didn't recognize him. Both Brennan and Booth looked very confused.

"Booth? You know him?"

Booth shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir. I don't…I…"

"Hank and I went through the service together. Son of a bitch saved my life a few times. I knew you when you were little. I'll be damned, you grew up fast. You sure do look like your old man. How is your dad anyway?"

Booth cringed at the mention of his father. "He's fine, I guess. Haven't seen him in a long time."

The man nodded, realizing he said something wrong. "Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Walter Henderson," he told them, holding out a hand for Booth to shake.

Booth took his hand and then introduced Brennan.

"Follow me," Walter said, walking back up the stairs where he came from. Brennan shrugged and Booth motioned for her to go ahead of him. He stuck close to her, his hand on the small of Brennan's back as they tagged along behind Hank's old friend. Walter was making small talk with Booth as they walked back to his chambers. When they reached the small room lined with bookshelves, Walter took his seat behind his desk and told the couple to take a seat in the chairs opposite him.

"Rangers, huh?" Walter questioned Booth, noticing the tab on his fatigue jacket.

"Yes, sir. Seventy fifth Ranger regiment, first battalion."

"You want me to sign that waiver?"

"Yes," Brennan spoke up, "But we need witnesses."

Walter nodded. "You two don't look like you're dressed to get married."

"We just got back from Guatemala, sir. I was on a mission and Bren was doing research for her next dissertation. Pops and Jared got in a car accident so they sent us home."

Walter looked a little shocked. "They're okay, though?"

Booth nodded. "Pops is fine. Jared's gonna be in the hospital for a few days but he'll be fine, too."

"Good, good," Walter muttered, taking the petition form and signing it.

"Ms. Brennan, why don't you call whoever you two want to be your witnesses and have them come down tomorrow with you. We'll have this license signed by this time tomorrow."

Brennan opened her mouth to correct him on the incorrect title but Booth shot her a look.

_Please, Bren, just please don't be rude to the guy who's going to marry us,_ he thought.

She closed her mouth and took the phone Walter was handing her. She dialed Angela's number and waited for her to pick up.

"_Hello?"_

"Jack! Hey, it's Bren. Is Angela around?"

"_She just got in the shower. I thought you were in Guatemala?"_

"Got back early. Listen, are you guys doing anything tomorrow?"

"_Well, Angie and I were going to take another trip to New York. We're gonna leave tonight. Why did you come back early?"_

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when I see you. Can you and Angela stop in Philadelphia on your way to the city?"

"_Uh…yeah, I don't see why not. Why are you in Philly?"_

"Like I said, I'll tell you when I see you. What time do you think you'll get here?"

"_Well, we're planning on eating dinner and taking off so we can probably be there by seven or eight tomorrow morning. What's going on, Bren?"_

"Jack, can you and Angela be our witnesses?"

"_Witnesses for what, Sweetie?" _Angela had taken over the phone. _"Are you okay?"_

"Yes, of course. Why would you ask that?"

"_If you're calling me, it means you're back in the states. Early. There is only one thing that would tear you away from your dead things and that's Private Studly. Is he okay?"_

"Yes, Booth is fine."

"_Then why are you home early?"_

"I'll tell you tomorrow. So will you?"

"_Sweetie, words. Speak. Will I what?"_

"Will you and Jack stop in Philadelphia and be our witnesses for our wedding?"

"_Booth's back too? Wait, like bridesmaid and groomsman witnesses or…"_

"No, no ceremony. Just a judge, Booth and I and you and Jack. So will you?"

She sighed. _"Of course, sweetie. We'll be there. But, Brennan! What happened to a real ceremony?"_

"It'll happen," Brennan reassured, "Look, I'll tell you when I see you tomorrow. Meet us at the courthouse downtown, okay?"

"_Sure, sweetie. I'll see you in the morning. Will you do me a favor, though?"_

"Sure, what is it?"

"_Make sure Booth's in his good uniform and you wear that cute sundress I picked out for you the last time we went shopping."_

"It's white…oh! I see the significance! Good idea, Ange."

"_I know. I'm pretty much a genius. I'll see you tomorrow, Bren."_


	45. A kiss for the bride

**A/N: Sorry this took so long and I apologize for it's length (or lack there of). I hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think! Wedding time! :)

* * *

**

_**The next morning (Outside the City of Philadelphia courthouse)**_

The small rental car was parked in front of a tree in the courthouse yard. Acting nonchalant, Booth nervously leaned against the passenger door, watching his fiancé pace by him. Brennan was twisting her hands, mumbling something bitter toward Angela.

"They'll be here, Bren. Have a little faith."

She shot a nasty glare at him and continued to pace. "Angela said they'd be here by eight. Why aren't they here yet?"

"Babe, it's not even five after. Give them a bit of leeway. They don't know this city like I do."

"Don't lean on the car. You and all of your medals and decorations are going to scratch it."

Booth sent a charming grin her way, not moving off the car. They had picked up a rental after they left the courthouse the night before and made a quick drive to D.C. to pick up Booth's service uniform, which was dressier than his combat uniform, and Brennan's sundress.

Booth looked her over in the dress. How Angela even convinced Bren to buy it was beyond him. It hugged her curves in just the right ways and showed enough cleavage to drive him nuts. Brennan stole a couple of glances. She now understood why women were so attracted to men in uniform. It wasn't as if the uniform revealed his toned abs or anything but it drove Brennan crazy just looking at him.

"Sweetie! See, I told you this dress looks amazing! What do you think, Studly? Doesn't your wife look wonderful?"

Brennan looked annoyed with her friend. "I'm not his wife yet. The judge hasn't married us yet. And why are you late? You said you'd be here by eight!"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Brennan, sweetie…you need to chill out. I get that you're nervous. Studly is, too. Look at him. The way he's sweating, he could refill the Atlantic in a minute."

Booth looked offended. "I am not! I'm not nervous. I'm…cool. And I'm only sweating because this uniform is heavy and thick. So can we get inside, please? You can give Bren her pep talk on the way to Judge Henderson's chambers."

"I do not need a pep talk!"

* * *

"Ah! Private Booth! Ms. Brennan! Glad to see you brought some witnesses!" Walter shouted as they entered his office. "Now you two look a little more dressed to get married. Yesterday, you looked like some rampant jungle adventure hunters."

The couple blushed and Booth handed the papers to the judge. Walter looked over the marriage license and the petition he had signed yesterday. He nodded, indicating things were all in order and asked Brennan and Booth if they wanted to say their own vows.

"No! Just do your thing," Brennan sputtered.

"Just nothing with God," Booth added.

Brennan nudged him and said, "It doesn't really matter, Judge Henderson. I'm not religious but Booth is, so…I'm fine with mentioning God in our vows."

"Well, I don't want Bren to hold it against me later, so just skip the God part. I'll just go to confession later."

"No, I'd feel bad if we skipped that part. And why would I hold it against you?"

"You just would, okay? We'll fight about something stupid like your rice milk and you'll bring up the fact that not only do you not believe in God but you _had _to say His name in our vows and I don't really want to fight about this. So let's just drop it. No God."

"No! Put God in the vows. Because he's the one who will bring it up later. I don't want some resentment just because I have chosen to believe in science rather than a myth."

"God is not a myth!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Walter interrupted, "I hate to break up this debate but are you two sure you want to get married?"

"Don't worry, Judge," Angela stepped into the conversation, "They'll have hot, sweaty, angry sex after this and they'll forget all about this stupid conversation."

"Angela!" Booth and Brennan shouted at her, Booth's face turning beet red.

"So…" Walter prompted, "Is this a religious thing or not?"

"No! And that's final, Bren. We are going to have a real ceremony eventually and it'll be a religious one. We can make up for the non-religious vows with a religious ceremony. Deal?"

"Deal!"

* * *

"I, Temperance, take you, Boo-, I mean, Seeley, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

"I, Seeley, take you, Temperance, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

Without warning, Booth pulled Brennan close and put his lips to hers.

Jack groaned and threw his hands up in the air. "Dude, he didn't say 'you may kiss the bride' yet."

"Shut up, Hodgins."

"Yeah, shut up, Hodgie. Let the newlyweds have their moment."

Judge Henderson chuckled. "Alright, kids. Now all you have to do is sign the license saying you're official."

Booth snatched a pen from the cup on Walter's desk and signed his name.

"Here you go, Mrs. Booth. Sign away."

"I'm still Dr. Brennan."

"I know. I just wanted to say it. Sounds weird, huh? Mrs. Booth was my mom. Yeah…you're still Bren."

"But I'm still yours."


	46. An offthecuff honeymoon

_**One week later**_

"Mmm, I don't wanna get out of this bed."

"Then don't."

"I have classes to teach, Booth. I have to go."

"Cancel 'em."

"I can't, Booth. I already canceled them for a few weeks for that dig. We've had a week to ourselves."

"What class is it?"

"Introduction to Prehistory."

"What's that even mean?"

"It's practically that same history class we took sophomore year for your historical perspectives general education credit."

"Why are you teaching boring stuff?"

She laughed and moved closer to the edge of the bed.

"Because I know this 'boring stuff' better than the rest of the Anthropology faculty."

She stood up, picked Booth's shirt off the floor and attempted to slip it over her head.

"Hey!" she shouted at him as he snatched the shirt from her.

"That is my shirt," he said, looking it over, "From two days ago."

"Well, it would've been cleaned if you hadn't left it on the floor," she countered.

"It wouldn't have been on the floor if you hadn't ripped it from my body."

She blushed. "I have to get ready to give my lecture. I have to leg it, you know? I spent all week in bed with you. We only got up to shower and eat. And to do some exercise that wasn't cardio."

He laughed. "Wing it, Bren. The saying is 'wing it'. So who cares if you don't have anything prepared for your lecture? You'll be the coolest professor on campus if you cancel your lecture. All the students will be lining up to take your class next semester. Just one day. Please, Bren, spend one more day in bed with me."

"Why? I feel extremely lazy sitting in bed. We should've gone on a real honeymoon like normal couples."

She walked into the bathroom to turn on the shower. Booth followed, not bothering to cover himself.

"We are not like normal couples, Bren." Booth leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom, watching her brush her hair.

"I know that. I have a bit of time before I have to go to campus…wanna shower with me?" She wiggled her brows at him before she shrugged off his shirt.

"Oh, baby, I thought you'd never ask!" He shouted with a hearty laugh, following her into the shower.

* * *

**A/N: I know this one is short but I wanted to keep their 'honeymoon' in a separate chapter, sort of as its own event. A real honeymoon will come, as will a ceremony, but in time. Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!**


	47. An out of the blue bombshell

_**Three and a half weeks into Booth's paid leave**_

"Booth? Are you here?" Brennan opened the door to their apartment and looked around for him. He would be leaving again at the end of the week and she wanted to spend every waking moment with him, apart from the time she would be teaching her classes.

She walked around to the kitchen. "Booth?" she shouted again.

"Bren! Hush!" he whispered loudly, indicating he was on the phone. He stood in the kitchen, pacing. She looked him over and realized he had changed out of his civilian clothes and back into his combat uniform. The sight gave her a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Yes, sir. I'll see you in a few days…No, sir, I'm already in D.C… No, sir, my fian- my wife lives here…Yes, sir, she's a professor at Georgetown…we just got married, sir…No, sir, I _will _be in Quantico on Monday…Report at 0500? I'll be there, sir."

Booth hung up the phone and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Booth?" she said timidly.

Looking up at her, he held her eyes with his for a few lingering seconds and walked to the fridge. Booth looked in like he knew what he was looking for, but he really only had it open to avoid the awkward silence between he and his wife.

The fact that he was married still threw him off balance every time he thought about it. He fiddled with the slim gold band on his fourth finger and shut the refrigerator door. He knew he couldn't avoid what he had been talking about on the phone; he knew he would have to tell Bren.

"You're in your combat uniform," she said. She had meant it more as a question but it came from her mouth as a statement. She could feel the sinking feeling deepen.

"Yeah, while you were teaching your classes today, I had…business things I had to take care of."

She nodded slowly. "Can I ask what it was?"

"I went to visit some guys in my battalion at Walter Reed. James has a nasty infection in his arm from where he got shot. He's getting a medical discharge. He could lose the arm if they don't fix it soon. And Robert ended up dehydrated and they think Rudy might have Malaria even though each of us had enough bottles of bug repellent to coat a small city."

Brennan just nodded. "He should've been taking medicine. I was on a daily preventative pill. Didn't you take something?" she added with a bit of worry.

"I did. Obviously, Bren, I'm fine or I'd be right next to Rudy. But we had that daily pill too. He must've forgotten to take it."

"Oh." She didn't know what else to say. She wanted to ask about the phone call but she didn't want to pry.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Were you expecting something else?"

"Well…yeah actually. We, uh, we need to talk."

She hated gut feelings. They weren't really real. People could not really tell things through an odd notion in their stomachs. "About what?"

"That phone call you came in on."

"Okay, so talk. I'll listen." Brennan started moving around the tiny apartment, putting away clothes and other items that were seemingly out of place. Booth followed her, standing right behind her as she cleaned the apartment.

"You need to listen. I need you to take me seriously right now. I have to leave again."

"I understood what you said toward the conclusion of your phone call. You need to be at Quantico at five in the morning on Monday."

He sighed. Telling her where he was going was going to be harder than he thought.

"Yeah, but you need to stop. I need you to look at me. Please, Bren."

"I am excellent at multitasking. This place is a mess. You can continue to speak while I clean."

"Temperance," he said, knowing her unused first name would be enough to stop her in her tracks. And he was right. She looked scared however, like she did something wrong.

"What? I have to get this done. If you're not going to clean, then I have to. I have papers I need to grade. I have to help three other first time doctoral candidates on their research, I have my own research to conduct and I have you. I know you're leaving soon and splitting my time between work and you is very hard. I want to be here with you all day long but there are things I _have _to do."

"Bren, I have to go on another mission."

"I assumed as much."

"I'll be gone…a long time."

"How long?"

"A year."

She finally stopped and set down the dirty clothes. Feeling that gut feeling again and then realizing she was actually nauseous, she attempted to calmly walk to the bathroom to lose her lunch. He ran after her, thinking she was just pissed and didn't want to talk. But as soon as he heard her gagging, he backed off. Booth was not in the mood to see that and he waited by the kitchen table for her to come back. Brennan walked out of the bathroom, her face pale and ashen.

"I'm pregnant."

He had that kicked-in-the-gut feeling, like she dropped a bomb on him without any warning. He put his face in his hands and thought for a minute. He kept trying to say something but nothing came out.

"Babe, just because you puked doesn't mean you're pregnant."

She shook her head and went to her briefcase full of school papers. She pulled out a small baggy and tossed it to him. It contained a positive pregnancy test.

"I went to the university health clinic today. They had me pee on that and they did blood work. Blood doesn't lie, Seeley."

He just stared at the little pink plus sign. Booth knew immediately what this meant. His son or daughter would be three months old when he came home. He didn't know what to say. He was happy, deep down he was happy. But there was just a bit of resentment creeping up that he was having problems containing. Resentment for the Army for sending him away, resentment toward Bren who wouldn't miss out on the first three months and resentment toward himself for picking to go into the Army in the first place. He could have a cushy job playing pro football, making millions and he'd be with Brennan constantly, apart from his away games. But even then, she could come too. He was happy; he couldn't stop smiling but he was just so pissed at himself for doing this to everyone, including this baby.

"I..How did this happen?"

She looked at him like he was suddenly growing a third eye. "Uh, Booth, we had sex. Sex is normally used for reproduction but in our case, it was for a closer bonding experience and for pleasure. Apparently, we weren't as being preventative as we thought. And it probably didn't help that we engaged in coitus every change we had. There was that entire week right after we got married and then the last three weeks, every chance we got, we were naked and in bed. Or the shower. But…I'm not sure I like the idea of doing this…alone."

"Uh…uh, okay, well, we can figure this out. I don't like the idea of you being alone while you're pregnant either, but we'll figure something out. Maybe we can get Pops to come stay with you. Jared's out of the hospital now and he can take the bus to get to his physical therapy. Or even Angela! She's been trying to get that internship at the art museum, right? She'll get it. She's the best. She can stay with you while I'm gone. You don't have to be alone. I mean, obviously, I would give anything to be here with you. But I have to go to-ˮ

"Where?"

He wasn't allowed to say exactly but he could give her a general idea. "Eh…the Middle East."

"Oh. You know, I don't have to be alone the whole time I'm gone."

"Why's that?"

"Well, there's a dig scheduled to go on in Eastern Africa for mass grave victims. It would go well with my thesis and I could make a lot of headway for my next dissertation. If I can, getting the thesis done before the baby is born would help. I mean, who knows how much time I'll have once he comes and-ˮ

"Wait, he? Is it even possible to tell if it's a girl or a boy this early? And there is absolutely no way I am letting you go to Africa pregnant. It's dangerous. Way too dangerous. Any place that has mass graves is too dangerous."

She laughed. "The most common generalization for a fetus is to call the baby a male. I personally find it a bit sexist but it's better than calling the fetus an 'it'. And I'll be safe when I go. Seeley, there's no way you're going to be able to stop me. I'll take extreme precautions to make sure I'm healthy and safe while I'm away. Plus, I'm going to need something to distract me from not seeing you for so long."

"That's what the baby's for."

Booth gave her his most charming grin as she walked to him and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder. "I hope it's a girl. A little girl that looks just like you who Pops, Jared and I can spoil rotten."

Brennan rolled her eyes and then looked around their extremely undersized apartment. There was no way there would be enough room for three of them.

"We need a bigger place."


	48. A difficult goodbye

_**Monday 3 AM (Two hours before reporting for duty)**_

Booth tiptoed quietly around the apartment. He hated this. He felt like he was sneaking away from her while she slept. Quantico was an hour away and he needed to leave soon if he wanted to arrive on time without rushing.

"Ouch!" he shouted as he stubbed his toe on a box. They had been packing nonstop ever since they realized they would need a larger apartment. And luckily, they had found one before Booth left. It wasn't just an apartment. It was a house in the most expensive neighborhood in the D.C. metro area.

"_Why don't we just get an apartment, Bren? Everything in the Georgetown neighborhood is way more than we can afford…By _a lot_. We could find a place much cheaper than these houses," Booth reasoned with her._

"_This one," she said, pointing to one particular listing, "is a mile from campus! And I'm a professor. Trust me, we can afford it."_

"_It has no back yard," he pointed out, "Just this little dinky patio."_

"_We'll take it."_

"_We will? Bren, we hardly have enough furniture to put in that place!" He excused them from the realtor and asked, "Temperance, we can't afford that. It's a beautiful house but its way over our price range."_

"_Seeley, do you even know how much money I make as a professor? As head of the research facility?"_

_He blushed and shook his head. He gave a smile to attempt to win her back over and she smiled back._

"_I make enough for this house and a down payment on a car, put it that way. Which reminds me, we need to get a car too."_

"_What?" H was so confused. Everything was happening so fast. First, he found out he's leaving for a year, then Bren tells him she's pregnant, and they need to buy a house _and _a car. "Why?"_

"_I need to get to doctor appointments. And I need to start going to a better grocery store. That little market on the corner isn't going to be good enough."_

"_Huh. Well, if you swear on Saint Anthony that we can afford it, then fine. But remind me why we're getting three bedrooms."_

"_For my office," she said._

"_Or…a bigger family?"_

"_Maybe."_

Booth had packed up as much as he could without making Brennan live without necessities. He had asked Pops and Jared if they would come to help and Brennan promised to call Angela to ask for her and Jack's help. They still needed to give the current owners a month to move out so Booth wouldn't be there to help them move in. But it hurt him just a bit to know that all of this, the major changes they were making to prepare for their little one, is what he was going to miss out on.

"I want to come with you," a muffled voice came from the depths of the sheets.

He chuckled. "I know, babe, but you have a class to teach at nine thirty. Plus, you have to call Angela to tell her the awesome news."

"Ugh. I don't wanna go to class."

"So cancel it."

That suggestion made her realize just what he was saying and she sat up. "Please don't go."

His heart broke a little each time she said something like that and this time it was worse. "Bren, I have to. But when I found out where I'm going exactly, I'll send you a letter. I'm expecting a letter back, you know."

"I know."

"You'll send pictures, right? Of you. And the baby?"

"Of course. Angela, however, will want to send you an entire album."

"I'm fine with that."

They both laughed a little, each trying to prolong the inevitable. She slid out of bed and wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him tight and refused to let go.

"Babe, I gotta get going. Okay, if I have a chance, I'll call you when I get to Quantico, alright? No promises, though. But I swear I'll write you as soon as I get to my post."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Bren. Take care of my little girl…"

"Or boy."

He laughed. "Yeah, or boy. Be careful, okay. I know you're going to sneak off to Africa because I won't be here to stop you but I need you to promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise. But you have to be safe too. I'm not raising this kid alone."

"Of course not. I'll be back. And if I'm lucky, beside letters, I might be able to call you."

She was crying slightly, attempting to hold it all in. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Bye, Booth."

"Remember, no byes. Just I'll see you later."

She nodded slowly, giving it her all to keep the tears from falling. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

Early, later that morning, Brennan's phone rang. Feeling insanely sorry for herself, she almost let it rang. She hated the alone feeling. After being alone for four years and then constantly having him around loving and caring for her, she had no desire to go back to that totally alone part.

But, she slowly got up and made her way to the kitchen. As her feet touched the cold tile, the ring silenced. She groaned, pissed that she left her bed that still had his scent, her last bit of comfort she had left.

She was a little over half way back to the bed when the phone rang again. She shuffled back to the kitchen, cringing at the ice cold tile, and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Bren?"_

"Hey. How's Quantico?"

"_Lame. I hate being away from you. I just wanted to let you know I'm here and as soon as I find out where I'm going exactly, I'll send you a letter with my address."_

"Okay, I'm assuming you can't talk for long."

"_Yeah, I gotta go. I miss you. Stay safe, okay? I'll see you later."_

"Yeah, I'll see you later. I love you."

"_I love you too."_ She heard the phone click as he set the receiver down. She placed the phone back and turned back to her bed. It rang again, much to her annoyance and she picked it up once again.

"Hello?"

"_Bren! Hi, sweetie! Guess what?"_

"What?" Brennan had a feeling of what was coming and she held the phone slightly away from her ear.

"_I got that internship! Ahhh! I'm so excited!"_

"Congratulations, Angela. I'm assuming you and Jack will need a place to stay?"

"_Yeah, we're going to look for an apartment as soon as we get there."_

"That's not necessary. You can stay with me."

"_Bren, sweetie, I don't know if you've noticed but you live in a very, _very_ tiny apartment."_

"Well actually, Ange, Booth and I bought a house. I was hoping I could get some help from you and Jack since I'm sure Booth wouldn't want me to be lifting all that much in my condition although I doubt it would be detrimental."

"_English, please, Bren. What 'condition'?"_

"Oh. I'm pregnant."

Brennan predicted there would be a large shriek and she was correct. She moved the phone away from her ear long enough for her friend to quiet down.

"_Sweetie! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"_

"I just told Booth not too long ago. As soon as he knew, we decided to find a bigger place. Booth and I were just so busy lately trying to get things done before he left that I just didn't have time. Sorry, Ange."

"_How long is he going back to Georgia for?"_

"Apparently, they needed him on assignment more than they needed him in training. He's going to the Middle East for a year."

"_WHAT? He's going to be gone when the baby comes? That is so not fair! We need to kick some Army ass for doing that to you."_

"So…will you help me? I can't move into the house by myself. And Hank and Jared are going to try to come down but it really depends if Jared can get his physical therapy done. He's almost completely recovered from the accident. But we'll have a spare bedroom for you guys to sleep in. Plus, and I know you won't be able to say no to this one, I'm going to need help decorating the nursery."

"_We're there! I am so in! Oh, Bren, I'm so excited for you. Sweetie, Jack and I will be there for whatever you need okay? I'll call you soon and we'll figure out when we'll be there. If you need me there sooner, just say the word. I can come to your doctor appointments if you don't want to go alone."_

"Thanks, Ange. I'll talk to you soon."

"_Bye, sweetie."_

She hung up the phone, feeling slightly better about the situation, though nothing could make up for the fact that Booth was about to miss out on some extremely important milestones.

* * *

**A/N: Hey there! Sorry about the delay. With the holiday arriving, I've been pretty busy with work and family commitments. I'm thinking of ending this fic soon but I'm having a hard time finding the perfect cut off point. But apart from that, I need some more pointers. I need some wonderful reader suggestions on certain things. I have a slight idea of what I want to do but I would love some ideas on:**

**-The baby's gender**

**-The baby's name**

**-And how Booth meets the little one**

**Thanks for reading, folks! You guys are wonderful! :) Happy 4****th**** to all you fellow Americans out there! **


	49. A package to remind him of home

**A/N: Thank you so much to all of you who gave me wonderful ideas on baby names and such for the fic! I think I have made my decision but if you would like to give some more ideas, go for it :) Don't worry for all of you who don't want me to end this story either. I think I'm going to do a sequel so when this fic does wrap up, look out for that. I'll give more details when the time comes. **

**And a big thanks to **Trinitystargazer3 **for your videotaping idea. That part was not my idea (You'll see what I'm talking about once you read).**

**Also, so no one is confused, it's about the beginning of November in the story timeline, with Booth being gone a little less than a week at this point.**

**

* * *

**

"Hey, Ange thanks for coming early. We can't move into the house for a couple of weeks so you and I can share the bed."

Brennan let Angela into the apartment. "Sweetie, we don't have to share the bed. I can sleep on the couch. Bren, you have no idea how excited I am to go shopping for this baby. She is going to be _so _spoiled!"

Brennan smiled. "Angela, you can't possible know the gender of this baby yet. Plus, I don't know if I want to know. I'm sure Booth wants to be surprised."

"No! We need to find out. We can find out and we can decorate the room and we don't even have to tell Booth!"

"I can't do that. I can't keep a secret like that from him!"

Angela laughed. "We'll see. So when's your appointment?"

Bren glanced at the time on the oven. "In an hour."

"Can we go shopping after? Please, Bren?"

Brennan looked dumbfounded. "No baby things. Not yet. There's no sense in buying a lot when we're just going to have to move it soon!"

Angela rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Fine. But I'm not making any promises."

* * *

"Bren, stop shaking so much. It's making me nauseous," Angela said, putting a hand on Brennan's leg to keep her from bouncing it.

"Sorry. And don't talk to me about nausea. You don't know the first thing about nausea until you're in my position. I feel like I could toss my toast any time."

"Toss my cookies, Bren. The saying is toss my cookies," Angela said, laughing.

"But I didn't have cookies. I had toast for breakfast."

"Yeah. I know."

"So then why did you say that I had cookies?"

"Never mind."

"Temperance?" A nurse called from the office door. Angela and Brennan followed the nurse down the narrow hall to the exam rooms.

"So what brings you here today, Dr. Brennan?"

"Isn't that your job to know why I'm here?"

Angela elbowed her. "What she means is she's pregnant and she's here for her first visit."

"They should know that. I told them that when I called to make the appointment."

"Sweetie, it's called making small talk. She was just being nice and talking to you."

"Well then that should not be something she should ask. It makes her sound like she's bad at her job."

The nurse, who was used to the grumpy pregnant women, gestured to the scale. "Please step up. We need to take your weight." Brennan did as she was told and promptly stepped off as soon as a proper reading was taken.

"I'm sorry about my friend," Angela said to the nurse, "She's just upset because her husband should be here."

"He has a job to do and I understand that," Brennan piped up, "I only wanted you here because I know I wouldn't hear the end of it from you if I had told you I went to my appointment by myself. I've come to know you quiet well, Angela, and I know you would've been very upset with me."

"Damn straight. Now, come on. Let's get this show on the road!" Angela cried.

They followed the nurse to the exam room and waited for the doctor to arrive.

"Hello, Temperance. It's nice to see you again," the doctor said as she walked in.

"Hello, Dr. Francis. This is my friend, Angela."

"Nice to meet you, Angela. Temperance, I got the blood work from the Georgetown University health clinic. Congratulations on the pregnancy. I'm assuming that's why you're here?"

Brennan nodded.

"Okay then. First, I need to get some medical history on both you and the baby's dad. Can I ask where your husband is?"

"He's been deployed. Just earlier this week actually. He'll be gone for a while."

"A whole year," Angela added.

Dr. Francis looked dismayed. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you know most of his medical history though?" Brennan nodded again and Dr. Francis asked her a long series of basic questions that Brennan answered easily.

"Normally, I would have some blood drawn but they did that at the university so I can use those records. I need you to give us a urine sample now. I just need to make sure your protein and sugar levels are all okay. I'm not expecting anything abnormal, this is just standard procedure," Dr. Francis told her.

When Brennan returned from the restroom, she was met with Angela's video camera in her face.

"Angela! What are you doing?"

"Taping it! For Private Studly!"

"Private Studly is Corporal Studly now, Ange."

"Ooh! A promotion! Atta boy, Booth."

Brennan ignored the camera and sat back down on the exam table.

"Okay, Dr. Brennan, I'm going to do a pelvic and a physical exam."

Brennan laughed. "Uh, Ange, I'm sure Booth doesn't want to see me have a pelvic exam. You can probably turn off the camera for just a bit."

"Ha, yeah, good call. We both know how bashful he is about…private things." All three women laughed as Angela shut off the camera.

Not long later, Dr. Francis gave Angela a thumbs-up to turn the camera back on. "Alright, you ready to find out your due date?" Brennan's heart suddenly started beating faster than normal. She was getting anxious, still floored that this was happening. Dr. Francis escorted Brennan and Angela to a sonogram room.

"I'll do the sonogram if that's okay. Our normal sonographer is out sick today," Dr. Francis told them.

Brennan lied down on the table and gave Angela a nervous glance. Angela, who already had the camera on, said, "Sweetie, are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. Just…I'm fine."

"It's okay to be nervous, Dr. Brennan," Dr. Francis told her, "I was scared shitless with my first. But it's natural. You'll worry you won't feed the little one the right food or get the right toys, send them to the right schools. But you just have to go with the flow. You'll figure things out."

Brennan just nodded.

"Now, Dr. Brennan, you said you couldn't remember the date of your last period, correct?"

"Yes…why?"

"Well, this little picture is going to help us find out your due date. Could you wiggle your pants down a little and lift up your shirt?" Brennan did as she was told and readied herself for the cold feeling of the sonogram gel.

She cringed a little as Dr. Francis squirted a bit onto her abdomen and the doctor apologized. Placing what Angela called her magic wand on her stomach, Dr. Francis turned the monitor towards the two women and Angela focused the camera on the screen.

"Now, of course, right now, the baby looks just like a little blob on the screen, but I'd say," Dr. Francis moved the wand and hit a few buttons on the machine, "you're due early July, about the twelfth."

Brennan was beaming. She never thought she'd be so happy about a baby, a family. She never thought she'd want a family. Once her parents and Russ took off, she never wanted to have that sense of duty to stay, that kind of love and responsibility for other people. But her love for Booth ran deeper than her indignation for the people she once called her family.

"I know, I know, I should know this, but is there any way, any way _at all,_ that you can tell the sex of the baby?" Angela asked.

"Ange! I don't want to know! And I don't know if Booth does so let's just drop it."

"I'm sorry, we won't be able to tell the gender for a while," Dr. Francis said.

Angela turned the camera toward her and said, "Sorry, big man, I tried."

* * *

Hours later, when Angela and Bren returned from their shopping trip, Brennan checked the mail. Bill. Bill. Junk mail. Bill. Booth. Bill. She stopped quickly and back tracked to the envelope from Booth. It was postmarked in Germany. She shoved the other mail into Angela's hands and ripped the envelope open.

_Hiya, Bren!_

_We stopped in Germany for a bit to refuel and pick up a few Army medics to take with us. It's actually really nice here. I kinda wanna ask if I can stay and do something here instead of going to the desert. My buddy, Teddy, and I found out we get to stay in the barracks together. Thank the Lord because some of the guys in the battalion are kinda weird. Nothing bad, they're good guys, you know, but Parker's the only person I'd wanna live with (beside you and the baby, of course!)._

_Speaking of the baby, how is she (or he)? Did you get Angela to come stay with you? When you go to the doctor, you should take her with you. I wish I could come to your appointments. But I do wanna know if the baby is a boy or a girl. We need to pick out some names, babe! I just can't believe this is happening. I'm already counting down the days until I get to see you!_

_I love you so much,_

_Booth_

_P.S. Here's my address for the base camp in Iraq. Send me something soon! I can't wait to hear from you and the baby._

"Oh, sweetie! How adorable. We need to send him a little care package or something!" Angela said, when she finished reading the letter over Brennan's shoulder.

"What would we put in it though? I have no idea what he would want."

"Duh, sweetie, anything that would remind him of you!"

"Alright, let's go send him something."

* * *

_**One week later, Undisclosed location, Iraq**_

"Hey, Booth! You got a package! It's from your woman!" someone shouted. Booth perked up and looked around the mess tent. The soldier who had the job of retrieving the mail from the main base camp a couple dozen miles away sauntered toward Booth, waving the box around.

"Give it here!" Booth demanded and the soldier tossed him the package. Very quickly, Booth was surrounded by every guy in the mess tent, waiting to see what was in the box.

"Back off!" Booth shouted and he and Teddy ran to their tent to see what was in the package.

They could tell it had been opened and re-taped for security purposes but Booth couldn't have cared less. He whipped out his knife and sliced into the new packing tape.

An envelope with his name on the front was right on top. Glancing over the other items in the box, he ripped open the letter and read it to his buddy.

_Booth,_

_I got your letter and Angela and I decided to send you something right away. I just got back from my first doctor appointment and everything is going well. My due date is July 12__th__. I hope to be sending you ultrasound pictures as soon as there is something to see. Right now, the fetus appears as a small circle on the monitor so there is not much to look at. _

_Angela is here and she is going to stay with me until it is time to move into the house. At that time, Jack is going to come down and they are going to help Pops, Jared and I fix up the house. They are going to stay with me until the baby is born or maybe until you get back. Angela's really excited to decorate the nursery. I know you want to know the baby's gender but for some reason, I am feeling the urge to keep it hidden until the birth. Until the technology was created, women never knew the gender of their offspring. I'd like to keep some semblance of that. However, Angela has offered to find out and conspire with you on ideas for the nursery. I have agreed to this situation as long as neither of you give it away._

_I hope you are doing well and are staying safe. I'm not sure if this will be possible, but Angela has included a video tape for you to watch of my first appointment. Angela has promised to keep taping every appointment for you to see. _

_I love you, and stay safe,_

_Bren (and baby)_

He pulled the videotape out of the box and set it to the side. He was going to ask his commanding officer if he could use the training room in the command center to watch the tape. There was a small white box with a note attached. He opened the box and found another medal, like his Saint Sebastian medal she gave him their first Christmas together.

_St. Andrew: Patron saint of Army rangers, _the note said.

Booth slipped the medal around his neck to accompany the Saint Sebastian medal he still wore. He discovered several bags of candy all with the note _Share! _But, the best part of the package was the pictures he found tucked between the multicolored socks and _Sports Illustrated _magazine. They were just Polaroids of Bren and Angela goofing around. They were making faces at the camera, teasing each other, but Booth was instantly drawn to one of just Brennan smiling sweetly at the camera, a hand resting on her still-flat stomach. In the small white space beneath the picture, Brennan had written _miss you _and drew a small heart next to the words.

Booth gazed at the picture for some time and hardly noticed Teddy sneaking off with a bag of candy. He planned to go after his friend and give him shit for stealing his food, but, for now, Booth laid back on his cot and stared at the picture for a while in peace, thinking of her.


	50. A new house to get ready for baby

_**Third week of November (Moving Day)**_

_There was a knock at the door and begrudgingly, Brennan climbed out of her bed to answer it. When she did, the person standing on the other side of the door was in uniform. Her heart began to pound, thinking her husband had finally come home. She smiled and said, "Hello."_

_The man looked up, but it wasn't Booth. The man was a chaplain and she soon realized what that meant._

"_Dr. Brennan?"_

"_No…where's Booth?"_

"_I'm sorry, ma'am, but-ˮ_

There was a knock at the door and thankfully, Angela got up to get it. She was sweating and was having problems getting her breathing under control. Angela looked back over her shoulder, worried but opened the door. Jack was standing on the other side and greeted Angela in a way that made her miss Booth even more.

"Hey, Bren! Oh…you alright? You don't look so good."

"Sweetie, if you're going to get sick, you should get into the bathroom. No one is going to want to step over a puddle of vomit while we move."

Brennan just shook her head. "I'm…I'm fine. I'm just going to get ready," she said, getting up and heading to the shower.

Under the calming flow of the water, Brennan finally let go. She had had nightmares like that before, but for some reason, that one just got to her. She was sobbing, her tears being washed away by the water pouring over her.

"Bren? Are you okay?" Angela's voice came from right outside of the bathroom.

She stopped crying and shook off any remaining feeling of self-pity she felt. "Yeah," Brennan called, "I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute if you want to shower."

"Take your time, sweetie."

She stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. That dreaded feeling of morning sickness came on and she worshiped the porcelain gods for just a while longer before stepping out of the bathroom.

"Damn, Bren. That's some nasty morning sickness," Jack commented. She simply nodded and went into the bare kitchen to make toast. Most of the apartment was packed, boxes stacked everywhere.

"Hey guys, I need to run down to the anthropology office on campus. Hank and Jared should be here in about an hour. Will you guys let them in if I'm not back yet?"

"Of course! What time are we getting the keys to your house?" Jack asked.

"About two. We could load up our cars with some boxes and Hank's going to rent a truck for the bigger things, we can probably get everything over there in one trip. Angela, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Not much. I don't have anything planned. Why?"

"Want to go shopping? Booth and I definitely do not have enough furniture to fill the house plus I need to start looking at cribs and changing tables and other things for the nursery. Want to come with?"

"Asking me if I want to go shopping is like asking me if I need to breathe. Of course I want to go shopping!"

Brennan smiled at her friend. "Okay. I'll be back soon," she said, grabbing her bag full of textbooks and papers and ran out the door.

"Is she going to be okay? I mean, you coming here early and leaving me in Evanston was bad enough. I can't imagine being as far away from you as Booth is from her. And for so long. I feel so bad for them," Jack lamented.

"Yeah, sweetie, I know. We just need to be there for her. She just needs her family around."

Jack looked confused. "Her parents are gone. Her brother won't come back. Booth is her family."

"She has us. Me and you. And she has Hank and Jared. Don't forget about the baby, either. She just needs us around. She needs us to keep her company and keep her mind off of what Booth is going through. She'll be fine. I just don't know if it'll be easier or harder once the baby comes," Angela said.

* * *

"Dr. Kent, do you have a minute?"

"Temperance! Of course, come in please. How are you doing? Getting ready for our African safari?"

She had arrived to the Anthropology building in record time that day, heading straight to Kent's office rather than her own. She stepped in and took a seat across from him at his desk.

"That is actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm not sure if I should be going anymore. I'm afraid I'm going to have to put my dissertation on hold for a while."

He was confused. Dr. Temperance Brennan was not one to put her education off to the side and she didn't let anyone forget that. "Can I ask why?"

"I'm expecting. I'm due July twelfth and I'm not sure if I should be making the trek down to Africa. I've done enough research and talking with my doctor to know that I would be safe, health-wise but…safety as in security from the armies there. It's a war torn country and…"

Dr. Kent smiled. "You're worried about the safety of your child."

She nodded and looked away. "I don't want to quit my research for this dissertation, but I just don't see how I can continue without going on digs."

"Well, we modified your thesis the last time you needed to leave the dig early. I'm heading up this dig again so here's what we're going to do. Your thesis is for cultural anthropology, correct?"

"Yes. I'm looking at how mass graves from civil unrest shape the culture of the society."

He nodded in understanding. "I'm sure you could participate in the dig by using video feed we'll have set up. We can converse a few times a week and you can look over the findings that could help your thesis. Does that sound reasonable? That way, you can continue to work on your thesis and stay in the states."

She smiled at him. "Thank you, doctor. Thank you for being so understanding. I really appreciate it. My husband wasn't thrilled with the idea of me going to Africa."

Dr. Kent chuckled. "Well, tell him not to worry. We'll keep you and the little guy or gal safe."

* * *

Brennan checked her watch as she took step after step up to her apartment for the last time. It was pushing noon and she wanted to get something to eat before they started to move. She approached the door and she could hear Hank and Jared laughing at something Angela said.

"Hi, Hank. Hey, Jared, lookin' good without the cast," Brennan said as she walked in.

"Hey there, Bren!" Hank stood up and clapped his hands once, gesturing for her to give him a hug. She dropped her bag quickly and walked swiftly to Booth's grandfather, giving him a long, tight hug.

"How's my great-granddaughter doing? You know, Shrimp is convinced it's a girl," Hank told her.

Brennan rolled her eyes and smiled. "I know. I wouldn't be surprised if he was already picking out names."

"Oh, he is," Jared said, standing to give his sister-in-law a hug.

"He is? What are they?" Brennan asked.

Jared laughed and shook his head, "Sorry, sis. Seel said he'd kill me if I told you. He wants to tell you."

Brennan groaned. "I guess I'll have to start thinking of some names too."

"Alright! Let's get this show on the road! Come on, Bren, I'll come with you to get the keys and we can meet everyone else at the house," Angela said. Brennan looked around and realized everything had been moved out apart from the kitchen chairs they had been sitting on.

* * *

"Oh. My god! Bren! This house is gorgeous!" Angela said as they pulled up to Brennan and Booth's new house. It was in the Georgetown neighborhood, where the sidewalks led right up to the front steps and the house was sandwiched between the two next door.

The two women got out of the car and Brennan walked up to the front door. She turned around to face Angela and her friend snapped a quick picture.

"What are you doing? I thought last time we used your camera was just for Booth. I don't need random photos scattered around my house. Moving is a messy job anyway."

"Whoa, Bren, take a chill pill. I was going to send this to Booth. I wanna send him a letter anyway so we can start our planning for the nursery. The moment we find out if the baby is a boy or girl, I'm buying the appropriate color of paint and you will not be allowed in the nursery until the baby comes. That is, unless you change your mind about wanting to know the gender…" Angela said.

"I think its cool Bren wants to kick it old school," Jared said as he and Hank approached the house, boxes in their arms.

"Alright, you ninnies, let's get these boxes in the house before my back gives out," Hank shouted.

* * *

Hours later, late into the night, everyone had unpacked each box and put everything in its place, all while exploring the house and taking dozens of random pictures to send Booth.

"I guess we're going shopping tomorrow, Ange. We never did go," Brennan said, putting the toaster in one of the cabinets.

Angela laughed a little and said, "Yeah, this house is awesome, Bren. We are going to decorate it and make it perfect for when your hubby comes home."

"Just a little at a time, though. Our cars are little and I'm on a budget. Doing one at a time would make the most sense," Brennan told her.

"Yeah, that's fine. Where should we start? I mean, you have a decent living room set and practically everything for the kitchen. So what first? Office, nursery, your room, or the in-laws suite?"

"In-laws suite?"

"Sweetie, did you not see the second kitchen and entire other master suite right off the kitchen? It even has it's own front door."

Brennan gave it a thought. "Oh," she said, still thinking it over, "I just thought it was a continuation of the kitchen in here."

Angela smiled and shook her head. "So what's first for decorating?"

"Well, I have enough for an adequate office and bedroom for Booth and I so the next logical thing would be to decorate the nursery. Wouldn't you think so? What are you grinning at?"

"We are going to have so much fun shopping for your little guy!"

"Or girl!" Brennan protested. "God, why is everyone so convinced they know the gender?"

* * *

**A/N: I know this is kind of filler-ish but I'm just planning on covering all of the major points until Booth comes home. And I apologize there isn't any Booth is this chapter. More than likely, he'll be in the next chapter. Let me know what you think! :)**


	51. An attempt to spread Christmas cheer

_**Second week of December**_

"Hey, Bren! You have a letter from Booth!" Angela called. She heard the bangs and clangs of pots in the kitchen. Brennan came running to Angela and snatched the mail from her hand.

"Why didn't he send me a letter too? I am the one who keeps sending him pictures," Angela said matter-of-factly.

Brennan ripped open the envelope and started to read.

_Hey babe,_

_The second piece of paper behind this one is for Angela. Give it to her now because we're planning the nursery and you aren't allowed to know if you want to be surprised when the baby is born. I know Angela is probably reading over your shoulder to, so, Ange, take your letter now before Bren tries to read it._

And with that, Angela snatched the letter from Brennan and ran off to read hers.

_How's it going, Bren? I want to know everything. Do you have morning sickness? Are you becoming unbearably moody? I bet you are. Angela said last time, you were being way more argumentative than you usually are. And that's saying something. _

_The guys loved your package from last time. I got to watch the video of your first appointment in the training center. Everyone watched it with me. It's nice to see things of home sometimes. It can get pretty depressing over here. Everyone is a Debbie Downer all the time. I bet you don't know what that means. Anyway, send another video soon if you can. Oh and everyone has said I have the best looking woman of the battalion so you should feel pretty honored._

_I have the tent to myself for a while. Teddy was sent on a mission with a few other guys so it's getting pretty lonely. I really miss ya, Bren. I want to come home so bad. There are a few guys who got sent home because they went crazy. Too much death and killing and not enough of home. Teddy and I started thinking of this plan to act crazy so we could come home but I gotta stay. I need to do this for me. I can't leave these guys here. That wouldn't sit right with me. No matter how much I want to come home to you and see our little girl (or boy, right?) come into the world, I have to stay here and do this for myself. _

_Anyway, Angela has some awesome ideas for the nursery. You are going to love it. I can already tell, Aunt Angela is going to spoil this kid rotten. I've been thinking of names too. But I'm not telling you yet. Mainly because I want to prove to you that I'm right. I know we're having a girl so you don't get to know what names I like until you say that I'm right (Even though you want to be surprised). _

_I love you and I miss you. Please send me a letter or something soon. I'm dying to hear from you._

_Booth_

_P.S. Merry Christmas, Bren. I'm sorry I can't be there but we'll make up every holiday I miss when I come home. We can have our own Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's day, and everything else I'm going to miss. I love you. _

"Ange! What does your letter say?"

Angela shook her head. "I am not allowed to tell you."

"Why?"

"Are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl or are you going to keep it a surprise?"

"I'm going to keep a surprise."

"Then you don't get to know."

Brennan grumbled and muttered something under her breath about best friends being stupid and went back to the kitchen to make lunch.

"We need to send him something too!" Brennan called over her shoulder. "He loves Christmas. He needs a little Christmas cheer."

* * *

_**Christmas Eve**_

"Yo, Seel! You got a Christmas present!" Teddy said.

"What?"

"That mail guy was just in the mess tent," Teddy told him, walking into their tent, tossing the package on Booth's cot.

Booth laughed and pulled out his knife to open the package. "Do you even know the name of the mail guy."

"Nope," he said. Teddy Parker moved to sit next to Booth on his cot to get first dibs on any candy Bren had put in the box.

"Dude. Back up! Maybe I'll share with you if you get off my back! Damn, Park."

"What? Your girl sent the best candy last time. My girl says it's bad. She won't send me any!"

"Ha! Bren says it's bad too but she knows not to keep me from my sweets."

He opened the box and read her letter.

_Hi Booth,_

_I hope this gets to you by Christmas. There are some decorations for your tent in the box. It's not a tree (I doubt the Army would let me send that to you) but it's just a few things to help make your tent a little less drab. I sent extra candy this time since I'm sure your buddies ate a lot of it. _

_I hope your friend Teddy is okay. You seem to like him and I hope to meet him when you come home. Angela has included more pictures of everyone. We picked out furniture for the nursery that could work for either gender. Angela included a picture of that as well. She wants to keep you in the loop, as she said and apparently, picking out the furniture is the only part of planning the nursery I'm allowed to do. However, it says in one of the pregnancy books I am reading that planning the nursery is an essential part of what they call nesting, despite the fact that I won't feel the urge to nest for quite some time. You said you wanted to know everything. I have had morning sickness since you left and it's horrible. I can barely keep anything down and I'm very dehydrated. I've been attempting to drink enough fluids as much as possible but as soon as I begin to feel better, the morning sickness comes back. It seems as if your son or daughter is torturing me for something. I am quite fed up with it but Angela, my doctor, and these pregnancy books I've been reading keep assuring me it should be over soon._

_Pops, Jared, Angela and I all sent you Christmas presents. I hope you have enough room to bring everything home that we're sending you. _

_I wish you were here. It's nice going to my doctor appointments with Angela but I wish it was you instead. There is another tape of my last appointment in the package. I had another ultrasound but the fetus still looks like a small blob. I'm glad you were able to watch the last one. _

_I miss you more than I ever thought it was possible to miss someone. Please stay safe and come home to me soon._

_Merry Christmas. I love you,_

_Bren_

_P.S. You will also be happy to know that I have decided to not go to Africa for the dig. Dr. Kent has assured me to keep me in the loop and set up video conferences so I can keep my dissertation on track. It should be done about this time next year, when we'll be celebrating the baby's first Christmas. That seems so far off but I can't wait. I know I say this a lot but please be safe. I need you to come home in one piece. I love you._

Booth tucked the letter into his pocket and started pulling stuff out of the box. He tossed a bag of candy to Teddy and said, "Here, Park, it's from my girl."

"She is a saint!" Teddy cried, ripping open the bag.

He set the other candy aside and pulled out the Christmas decorations. There was a _Merry Christmas _banner to hang on the wall and a Christmas tree decoration that went from the ceiling of the tent to the bottom. Booth told Parker to hang the decorations while he explored the box for more contents. He pulled three small wrapped items and set them off to the side. Booth couldn't decide whether or not to open the presents now or wait until morning. He found the tape of her appointment. He started getting anxious. Not nervous, just excited to hear her voice. Booth found more magazines, which would give him something to do when he couldn't sleep. He knew the _Car & Driver _and the _Sports Illustrated_ were from Bren but the _People _and the _Us Weekly_ was from Angela. He didn't really care though. It was something that didn't have to do with the war, something that didn't have to do with guns and death and roadside bombs so he was willing to read up on celebrity gossip that he didn't really care about.

Booth found the pictures of the house, the nursery furniture and Bren. He had been taping almost every picture they sent him to the tent right next to his cot, so when he lies down at night, he could look at his home. The little collage was starting to grow again and soon, he was going to run out of tape.

Booth decided he couldn't wait to open the presents. He found the one from Pops and tore the wrapping paper from the gift. Booth laughed out loud. His Pops had sent him What to Expect When Your Wife is Expanding along with the note: _Shrimp, I'm sorry you can't be here to witness this miracle and some of the things in this book are going to make you wish you were here, but don't go and do something stupid just so you can come home. I know how you are. But I also know__that you are a brave man who knows what needs to be done. I found this when Jared and I were with Bren's friend, Angela, while we were shopping for baby things. That Angela is a firecracker! Oh, Boy! Your brother is smitten with her, let me tell you. But, Bren doesn't know we went shopping so don't tell her. I know you're convinced it's a girl, but Angela says she has evidence it's a boy. Anyway, be careful, Shrimp. Merry Christmas. Love, Pops._

He put that book next to all of the other goodies and attempted to figure out what the other three had sent him. He took Jared's gift in his hands and wiggled it around.

"It's a book. Damn, I guess I have to study up on this pregnancy stuff," he said to no one in particular.

"Yeah, but isn't your girl a genius or something? She's gonna make you sound like an idiot when you get back if you don't know what you're talking about," Teddy said through a mouthful of candy.

"Hmm. That's a good point. Oh dear God. Only Jared would pick out something like this," Booth said, flipping through his new copy of My Boys Can Swim! 

Booth read Jared's note out loud. "_Atta boy, Seel. Merry Christmas"_

Teddy laughed. "Lemme see that! Ha! Your brother sounds hilarious!"

"I'm sure Angela's will just as…wonderful," Booth told him, flexing her gift to indicate that it, once again, was another book.

"_Hey, Corporal Studly,_" Booth read to Teddy, "_Now, I know you want to be back here for all of this and I know you know Bren wants you to be here but here's the deal: You are going to not die, for me, this kid, and Bren and I am going attempt to be you while you're gone. Now, I'm not saying Bren and I are going to do everything you two did ('Cause, let's be honest, I don't see Bren like _that_) but I'm going to do my best to be there for your wife while you're gone. Another thing, you married a genius so do yourself a favor and read the books your brother, grandpa and I sent you. If anything happens to you, I will kick your ass. Love ya, Angela P.S. Start thinking of themes for the nursery. I'm thinking of jungle animals if you have a boy and maybe just flowers, like a giant garden, if it's a girl. Let me know and Jack and I will start getting things together the moment we find out._" Booth pulled out the book Angela had sent: The Dude's Guide to Pregnancy: Dealing with your Expecting Wife, Coming Baby and the End of Life as You Knew It.

"Ha. Great. Really funny, Ange," Booth mumbled. He took Brennan's present and took off the note attached to read to his buddy.

"_B- Angela said you'd like this a lot and Pops seemed to think this was a good idea too. Like I said before, he or she is just an embryo but soon, she or he will actually start looking like a baby. I'll send another picture as soon as I can to update it. Love you, B._"

Booth unwrapped the small present to find a small frame. "Huh. She was right. She really doesn't look like much yet. Park, heads up!" Booth said, tossing the ultrasound picture to his buddy, "That's my kid!"


	52. An almost ruined surprise

_**First week of February**_

"Ange, are you coming? We're going to be late for my appointment!" Brennan called out, standing next to the front door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Angela said, jogging down the stairs.

"I'll see you guys when you get back," Jack said, heading to the kitchen for a snack.

"Do you want to come, Jack? I don't mind," Brennan suggested.

Hodgins hesitated. "Uh…are you sure? I mean…it's not going to be awkward or anything is it?"

Angela smiled. "Since she's popped, there's nothing going on down there. We get to find out if it's a boy or girl today!"

"I'm in. Fifty bucks on-ˮ

"No!" Brennan shouted, "Make all the bets you want but I do _not _want to hear what you bet on because knowing my luck, you'll slip and say something so if either of you spill the rice, it's on you!"

"Uh, Sweetie, I think you mean spill the beans."

"Whatever. Let's go or we're going to be late."

* * *

After the basic check up with Dr. Francis, the three friends went down to the sonogram room and waited for the tech to arrive.

"Hi there, I'm Kathryn, I'll be doing your ultrasound today," the woman said as she walked in. "Now, before I give anything away, do you want to know the sex of your baby?"

"No, but my friends do," Brennan told her, pointing back to Jack and Angela, who was getting the video camera ready.

Pressing the record button, Angela said, "We're planning the nursery for her."

Kathryn nodded and looked Brennan over. She noticed Bren's wedding ring and said, "So…no husband today?"

Brennan became bitter at her mentioning of Booth's absence. "Not for ten more months. He's in Iraq." Kathryn blushed at her seemingly insensitive comment and began to prep for the ultrasound.

"If you'd like, I can step outside with your friends in a bit to tell them the gender so you don't overhear," Kathryn offered.

Brennan's mood changed again suddenly and she was smiling, her mood swings taking a toll once again, "Sure. That would be great."

Kathryn smiled at her, thankful that she had gotten back on her patient's good side. "Okay, I'm just going to be checking to make sure everything is progressing along smoothly. I tried to warm up the gel a little bit but it still might be cold so be warned."

The ultrasound tech waited for Brennan to unbutton her pants and lift her shirt to expose the slight baby bump that had erupted.

"Look at that bump, Studly!" Angela cried, zooming in on Brennan's stomach.

"Ange, really?" Brennan said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry," she mumbled. Kathryn laughed and gave Brennan one last warning about the cold gel. After squirting some on her, the tech placed the transducer on her stomach and turned the monitor toward Brennan.

"Hear that? That's your baby's heart beat," Kathryn said.

"Sounds awfully fast," Angela said.

"No, that's normal. Let's see…the baby's size looks good, seems to be growing at a good pace…I'm not seeing any neural tube defects on the spine so that's a good thing…your baby seems to be perfect. I'm not finding any abnormalities and it is your lucky day," Kathryn said, looking at Angela and Jack, "The baby is in the perfect position to see the gender."

"I do not want to know the gender. I would like to be surprised at the birth," Brennan reminded them.

Kathryn nodded and gestured to Angela and Jack to step out in the hall. She had left a picture of the baby on the monitor and told Brennan she could begin to wipe off the gel on her abdomen while she was talking with her friends. After they stepped in the hallway, Brennan could hear Angela shriek and jump around with both Jack and Kathryn trying to calm her down.

Brennan ignored the commotion in the hall and stared at the monitor. The baby's profile lit up the screen. The small features puzzled Brennan. She knew the baby was still developing, but she wanted to know if their child would look more like her or Booth. She couldn't determine the baby's bone structure from the ultrasound, but she desperately wanted to know.

The door opened again and Brennan continued to wipe off the gel.

"Bren, oh my god!" Angela gushed, seemingly about nothing.

"Ange, I swear, do not tell me or I will kick you out on the street!"

"Sweetie, let me tell you this: You will be so excited!"

"I'm excited anyway, Angela."

"I know but I'm even more excited than I was before!"

Brennan looked to Kathryn. "Can I have a picture?" she asked timidly.

"Make it two!" Jack added.

"Of course! Dad needs to see his little one, right?"

* * *

As the friends arrived home from Brennan's appointment, the mail carrier was just walking up to her front door. For a Washington winter, it had been decently mild out. Snow had stayed away for the most part and the roads were almost always clear.

"You Dr. Brennan?" The man asked as they approached.

"Yes, that's me," Brennan said, stepping closer to him.

"Well, nice to meet'cha! I'm Frank Bardot. I wondered who had moved into his house. Congrats," he said, looking down at her stomach.

"Thank you," she said quietly, absentmindedly placing a hand on her growing belly.

"Is it just you three here?" Frank asked, searching through his bag for their mail.

"Well, yes until my husband comes home."

"He on a business trip or somethin'?" Frank had found their mail and was double checking it was all theirs, making sure they didn't end up with someone else's mail.

"Something like that…" Brennan trailed off.

"He's deployed," Jack said for her.

"Huh. Jeez, I remember those days. I was over in Vietnam. It's gotta be hard on ya, though. Anyway, I best be movin' on. You should get inside too before you get sick. It may not be snowing yet but it's cold! I'll just give you this," he said, handing Brennan the mail.

"It was nice to meet you," she offered.

"Same! Good luck with everything! I'll see ya around," Frank said, heading to the next house.

Brennan flipped through the mail eagerly, looking for Booth's chicken-scratch handwriting. Finding exactly what she was looking for, she dropped every other piece of mail and frantically opened the letter. She hadn't heard from him since December and she was beginning to worry.

_Hey Bren,_

_I know you're probably worrying about me but please don't. It's not healthy for you and the baby. I'm fine. I did go on a mission that took a little long than usual and when I got back, they had a lockdown on mail when there was suspicious mail coming in, so no one could send or receive anything._

_I've been reading those books that Pops, Jared and Angela got me so the moment I come home, I'll be ready. This kid is going to have professional parents, let me tell you. I feel like I could go pro. I've already finished one of them and I'm almost done with another. So when I come home and I say give me the kid, I know what I'm doing, trust me. _

_So according to the books, you can tell the gender now right? And you'll probably get an ultrasound at your appointment. Don't let Angela forget to find out for me. She's supposed to tell me. I can't wait to see the tape of that. It's so awesome hearing your voice on those tapes. By the way, those Christmas decorations you sent were a big hit. Everyone loved them and our tent was the coolest tent on the base. Teddy said thanks for the candy too. Good call on not sending chocolate. It would melt before we had a chance to eat it. _

_I'm glad you decided not to go to Africa. It was making me nervous just thinking about it and I was just waiting to get a letter saying "Greetings from Kenya" or something like that. I know you can take care of yourself but it's a dangerous place and it just really scared me that I wouldn't be able to do anything to help you. But I'm glad you worked things out with Dr. Kent. He seems like a nice guy to help you out with the dissertation and keeping you and the baby safe. I'm going to have to send him a thank you card or something._

_I'm getting ready to go out on a few more missions soon so if you don't hear from me, please don't be worried. I'm going to be away from the base camp for a while coming up so I'm probably not going to be able to send you any letters or get whatever you send. _

_I love you, and I promise I'll be safe. Angela said she'd whoop my ass if I wasn't. _

_Booth_

_P.S. Just like last time, the second letter is for Angela and Jack. Don't read it! I love you._

"Here, Ange," Brennan said softly, handing her friend the other sheet of paper. Between the two letters, a picture fell out. She waited for Angela to take the letter from her and kept her eye on the upside down picture that had landed on the front steps. She sat next to the picture and picked it up.

It was of Booth and another man Brennan assumed to be his friend Teddy. She stared at it. It was the first time she had even looked at a picture of him since he left. Not because she didn't have one; there were dozens of pictures of the two of them scattered around the house. She just didn't want to feel sorry for herself. She knew she wasn't the only Army wife waiting to hear from her husband. She knew there were other women in a worse position than she was but they hadn't been married for long. They hadn't had a real ceremony like Booth wanted or a real honeymoon like they both craved.

She noticed Booth's handwriting on the back. _Me and Teddy Parker, Iraq, 2__nd__ deployment,_ it said, _Bren, he's my best bud. We can't wait to get back to see you and the baby. We can't wait to see you. Love you_

She smiled and flipped the picture back over. The friends were waving at the camera, dressed only in partial uniform. They had their fatigue pants and boots with a tan colored shirt and a bandana to cover their heads. She noticed he was incredibly tan but, then again, spending months in the hot desert will do that to someone.

"Sweetie, you alright?"

Brennan looked up at Angela and smiled. "Yes. Now that I know he's okay, I'm fine."

"Bren, you should get inside before you catch a cold," Jack told her.

She nodded and awkwardly stood up; her stomach was beginning to get in the way of basic things.

"Damn, it's cold," Angela commented, "I'm going to make some coffee when we get inside. Jack, you want some?"

Hodgins nodded and noticed the look on Brennan's face. "Brennan, you of all people should know that the caffeine in coffee isn't good during pregnancy."

"But I'm cold! And…can't you make decaf?"


	53. A dangerous and confusing place to be

**A/N: So, I'm back! After a complete computer meltdown and hard drive wipe, I have another chapter for you! I hope this makes up for my long absence!**_  


* * *

Booth,_

_Thank you for telling me that you're okay. I have been very worried about you and my obstetrician has told me I need to keep my stress levels down as much as possible. Angela is sending you a letter as well as a tape which include more details about my most recent appointment._

_I can assure you things have been going well here. The morning sickness I had been suffering from has, for the most part, subsided. I am also gaining weight at a rapid pace and my feet seem to be disappearing quickly. My stomach is now approximately the size of that orange ball you have lying around the house. I know it's not a football (I do know that sport very well) but I am unsure of which sport it belongs to._

_Angela and I are putting together another package for you as I write this. Hopefully, the magazines we are sending are still relevant by the time you get this since I know you more than likely will not receive it right away. Please send me another letter as soon as you're safe so I don't worry more than I need to. Pops has told me that he's going to stay with Jack, Angela and I when the baby comes. I'm very excited to have Pops here even though I know the house will be very crowded. Jared wants to come but he is planning on taking summer courses so he may not have the opportunity. _

_Please stay safe. I worry about you all the time. Know that I love you very much and I can't wait to see you._

_I love you,_

_Bren_

_

* * *

_

_Hey there Studly!_

_How's the desert? I bet it's awful even though I bet you're tanner than I am._

_Okay, here's the deal, buck-o: When Bren, Jack and I were at her appointment, I messed up at the end so you won't be able to hear the news but…Start thinking of some manly, yet adorable names because I am about to have a godson. Bren still doesn't know and Jack and I are not about to spill the beans so you just have to make sure you don't tell her. Your son is going to be one good looking kid. Girls on the playground are not going to be able to keep their hands off him._

_So, here's what you need to do:_

_1. Come home in one piece_

_2. Thinking of names for both a boy and a girl (so Bren doesn't catch on)_

_3. Give me some ideas for the nursery (Should I paint it blue?)_

_4. Come home in one piece (I know I said this already but it's __VERY __important)_

_5. Read the books we sent (I know you might be busy doing Ranger stuff and parachuting out of planes but Bren's kinda worried you're not going to know what to do when you get here)_

_Stay safe, Studly. We miss you_

_Angela_

_P.S. She's popped and she looks extremely top-heavy, like she's going to lose her balance at any minute, but she looks beautiful. I threw a few pictures in the box too. She really misses you, Booth. Come home soon, okay?_

Angela folded up her letter and placed it in a separate envelope. She sealed it, knowing Brennan's curiosity might get the better of her. While Brennan was adamant about keeping the baby's gender a secret, Angela knew her friend desperately wanted to know like all moms.

Looking over the contents of Booth's next parcel, Angela nodded with satisfaction. There were their usual fixtures like the magazines and candy as well as the videotape but Angela realized there were stacks of new polaroids of Bren, herself and Jack, and Pops and Jared, even some of the house which was starting to look more like a home the more Bren and Angela spruced it up. She looked over the photos of her best friend, remembering the 'fight' they had while taking them.

"_I don't want him to see me like this!" Brennan had shouted._

"_And why not? You know that pregnancy glow everyone talks about? Well, you got it, baby! Booth will want to see it!" Angela told her, aiming the camera in Bren's direction._

"_I feel extremely large and I don't want him to show his entire battalion how huge I've gotten!"_

"_Sweetie! You're pregnant! He just wants to show you off. He's excited! Booth wants to tell anyone who will listen that he's got the most beautiful wife who's about to give him a-ˮ_

_Brennan raised her eyebrows, challenging Angela to continue and divulge the secret she's been so insistent on keeping._

"_- child," Angela started again, "He loves you and he wants the whole world to know so what's so bad about that?"_

_Brennan pursed her lips and waited to think of an answer._

"_Nothing," Angela answered for her. "Now, are you going to fight me some more on this or are you going to strike a pose?"_

Angela set the photos back into the box and waited to tape it up.

"Bren? Is there anything else you wanna put in the box?"

"Yeah! Hold on!" she called from the kitchen.

Awkwardly, Brennan jogged around the corner to where Angela was sitting with the box and set one last item in it. It was a pocket baby names book, flagged with small post it notes throughout the vast number of pages.

"I went though it last night and made some notes to see what he thinks. I just hope I have some sort of answer from him by the time the baby comes."

* * *

_**A week and a half later, Iraq**_

"Seel? You okay?" Booth was asked, "You've been pretty quiet all day."

Booth just nodded and stood up to walk away. He had been eating in the mess tent with the rest of his battalion, attempting to keep his mind off his buddy.

Teddy had gone MIA during their last mission and Booth's commanding officer was putting together a search and rescue team to go find him. Booth was desperate to help.

"Mail here yet?" he asked nobody in particular.

"Nah, but one of those boxes came for your while you were gone. The colonel has it."

Booth ran out of the mess tent and went to his superior's bunk. It doubled as an office and where they were, that was about as fancy as they could get for an office.

"Excuse me, sir?" Booth said, poking his head in the tent through the flaps that doubled as doors. "Uh, I heard I had received some mail while I was out on a mission. I heard you had it."

The colonel looked up from his work and smiled at Booth.

"Of course, Corporal. I'm pretty sure it's from your wife. The things she sends are famous around base camp, Booth. Hey, when you're done with the magazines, you mind tossing them my way? I haven't read a _Sports Illustrated_ in ages."

Booth laughed, mainly because he was surprised people talk about stuff like that. "You'll be the first to see them, sir. Can I ask how that search team is going for Parker? I'd like to be in on it, if you'll let me?"

The colonel nodded. "Since you're volunteering, I don't have to force someone else. We'll come find you tonight when it's time to head out. We leave tonight. Enjoy whatever your wife sent you before we leave, Booth."

"Thank you, sir," Booth said, taking his parcel and leaving the colonel's tent. He made his way back to his tent quickly, eyeing his wife's perfectionist handwriting the whole way.

But, instead of going to his tent first, he made a detour to the training tent, where some soldiers watched video tapes on boosting morale or learning to use some of the equipment. He sliced open the box and fished around until he found the tape.

He slid it into the VCR and pressed play. Hearing the sounds of home, the voices of his friends and his wife, it made him ache to be back in D.C. He wanted nothing more than to go home right at that moment, but his grandfather taught him to be a better man than to just leave honor and duty behind. No matter how much he wanted to be home with Bren, Booth knew he needed to stay for Teddy. He had to find his friend. Booth wasn't about to turn his back on his only decent friend in the desert.

Booth watched the tape which ended with Angela hitting mute as she went out into the hall way with Jack and the ultrasound tech to hear the news. He wanted to be pissed at Angela for messing up on the tape but he just laughed, knowing she was probably just as excited to hear the news as he was. Booth hit rewind on the machine, getting ready to listen to the tape again while he explored the other contents of the box. When the tape stopped, he pressed play and listened again and pulled out the magazines. He took out the candy, promising himself that Teddy was going to be the only person he shared it with. It was childish probably, yes, but he always let his best bud get the first pick on the candy.

Booth then pulled out the baby name book Bren had threw in and smiled, despite his situation. He flipped through the book, smiling at her suggestions and even random comments on names that he knew neither of them could agree on.

_Annabelle – That's pretty, right? Angela told me you'd want to pick out a pretty name if we have a girl_

_Clara – Did you ever see the Nutcracker ballet? I think I've liked that name ever since my father took me to the ballet when I was 12. I was too awkward for dance classes. Did I ever tell you that? I think I also like this name because it's the same name as my favorite film actress, Clara Bow. Do you know who she is? Angela had no idea_

_Grace – I quite like this one. Though, what happens if she's not graceful?_

_Hadley – I'm not sure why but I really like this one. _

_Harper – Cute, but I'm having issues thinking of a middle name_

_Piper – It goes well with your last name. I can't find a favorite in this section. This is difficult. How did our parents name us? I'm not sure I like this part._

Booth smiled, making note of his favorites she had picked and moved on to the boy names.

_Andrew – My favorite (I think you can guess why)_

_Anthony – My other favorite (Apparently, the pregnancy hormones are making me very sentimental)_

_Gabriel – For some reason, every name that has something to do with your religion is every appealing to me. _

_Gunnar – A name that, surely, would appeal to you but I am not necessarily fond of it_

_Holden – My favorite protagonist (He slightly reminds me of you for some reason)_

_Joseph – We both know why this isn't going to happen_

_Lincoln – Maybe we can do something about your odd cosmic balance notion and name our child after someone your ancestor killed_

_Maverick – This name reminds me of you. And that film you tried to get me to watch that had the one actor you said was extremely short in real life_

_William – It seems very eloquent for a child, don't you think? Wow, finding boy names seems easier than picking out girl names._

Booth laughed out loud, thinking of her as she was going through this process, imaging her becoming frustrated at the book for giving her a large number of names to even consider.

"Booth, where are you?" The colonel's voice sounded outside the training tent.

"I'm in here, sir!" Booth called, taking the tape from the VCR and putting all of his items back in the box. Booth ran out of the tent and caught up with his commanding officer.

"Go put that stuff away and meet me back at the training tents in ten."

"Yes, sir!" Booth said, jogging toward his tent. When he reached his cot, Booth tossed the package underneath.

After a second thought, he reached into the box and pulled out the letters from Brennan and Angela and the stack of pictures that was inside, knowing he'd need as much of his girl and his friends as he could get while he tried to save his best friend and not get killed in the process.


	54. A friend to cheer her up

**A/N: I know some of you said that you didn't like those names I included in the last chapter but that was more of Brennan putting her two cents in on everything than then ones I am considering. That being said, I would still love some ideas on names! Thanks guys :)**

**

* * *

**

_**Third week of March, Iraq**_

"Colonel, what the hell are we doing? We haven't found Parker yet! We have to go find him!"

"Corporal Booth, stand down. We have been looking for a month. There is no sign of him, no sign of life. The mission is over, unless you'd like to head up your own mission to find him, we are done."

"I'll do it. Give me two or three men and more supplies and I'll find Teddy!"

"Fine, Corporal. It's your ass on the line though. Report to me before you leave."

"Yes, sir."

Booth ran to his tent. He found letters sitting on his cot, and the mail piling up on Teddy's, all from his girlfriend. He noticed there were two letters from Bren and one from Angela.

_Booth,_

_What's going on? Is everything okay? I haven't heard from you and I'm starting to get worried. Please tell me you're okay. I need to know you're safe._

_I love you,_

_Bren_

_

* * *

_

_Alright, Booth, what the hell? Bren is worried sick about you! We need answers. She's having panic attacks. She won't admit it but she is. We need answers about names, the nursery and all sorts of things, like why the hell you haven't told her you're okay. This isn't good for her. At least send something, just so she knows you're still alive. I'm not very happy with you right now and I'd kick your ass if I could. Angela_

_

* * *

_

_Seeley,_

_I am so incredibly pissed at you right now. What the hell is going on? Please just let me know you're alive and I'll yell at you later. _

_Temperance_

_

* * *

_

He knew using their first names was bad. She was furious with him, though he couldn't really blame her. They had left to find Teddy as soon as he got that last package. He had barely even had time to read the letters from Bren and Angela. But the moment his friend told him he was having a son was entirely bittersweet, given the circumstances. Parker was the only one he wanted to tell. But now, eager to find his friend, Booth pulled out a sheet of paper and scribbled a quick note to Brennan and Angela and shoved it in an envelope.

Booth ran to the mess tent and tossed the envelope into a box full of outgoing mail.

"Booth! Did you find Teddy?" a soldier named Hatting asked.

Booth shook his head. "I'm goin' back out there. I need a few men. You know any one that would wanna go with me?"

Hatting nodded. "I'll go. Did you clear it with the colonel?"

"Yeah, but we're gonna need at least one more person."

"Radford'll come with. I'll go find him."

Booth nodded his thanks and began to pace.

_What the hell am I thinking? If he was abducted, this could end up a suicide mission,_ Booth thought. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair.

"Alright, I'm in," the other soldier, Radford, said, as he ran into the mess tent with Hatting right behind him.

Booth sighed. "Okay, we need to get ready. Gear up and get enough supplies to last…maybe a month. I don't know how long this is going to take. But we're gonna find him."

Hatting and Radford nodded and took off for the supply tent.

Booth watched them head off and he took a seat at one of the tables. Laying his head down, he sent up a prayer to the heavens that everything would work out in the end.

* * *

_**The next week, Washington, D.C.**_

"Hey there, Dr. Brennan!" Frank the postman said as he approached her front steps, "You're looking wonderful these days."

Brennan sat on the front steps, watching cars drive by in her small neighborhood, with her stomach bulging out in front of her, full of baby and the small lunch she ate. She smiled slightly at her company, "Thanks, Frank. Any mail for me today?"

Frank gave her a big grin. "I think there's somthin' from the hubby in here. When does he come home anyway? I wanna meet this fellow of yours."

Brennan's eyes widened at the mention that Booth sent her something. She struggled to get up and waited for Frank to hand her the mail.

"He'll be home in November, maybe earlier if we're lucky," she told him, taking the mail from Frank.

"Well, I hope we get lucky then. Enjoy! I'll see you around, Dr. B!" Frank called over his shoulder as he walked to the next house.

"Thanks, Frank," Brennan shouted as she walked into the house. She collapsed on the couch, feeling the baby flutter around inside.

She ripped open the envelope from Booth. Reading over it, she could feel the tears beginning to well up.

_Angela-_

_I'm giving you complete creative control over the nursery. Just make it look nice. I have faith that you will. Don't spoil the surprise for Bren._

_-Booth_

_Bren,_

_Hey, babe. I'm sorry I haven't written. Teddy's missing and I have to go find him. I had just got the last package when we went out to look for him. I have to get back out there. We still can't find Teddy and the colonel is letting me head the mission. There's a list of names that we both agreed on the back of this. I won't be able to write for a while but I don't want you to worry. I need you to stay calm for me. Please. Keep our baby safe. I love you. _

_Booth_

"Brennan? Are you okay?" Hodgins asked her as he came through the front door. He was breathing hard and sweating from the run he had just finished but he looked more concerned for her.

She nodded and wiped away her tears. "He wrote back. Teddy's missing and he's going to go find him. He's leading the mission. He's going to be gone for a while."

"Bren, he'll be okay. He's doing something good. He's rescuing his friend. He's going to be okay," Jack said, sitting next to her on the couch.

Brennan nodded again and laid a hand on her stomach. "The baby's kicking a lot," she whispered.

"Can I…" Hodgins' voice trailed off as he held up a hand to her stomach. She smiled at him.

"Of course."

Jack set his hand next to hers on her stomach. "Wow! That little kid is running a marathon in there!"

Brennan laughed. "Thanks for that, Jack. Thanks for making me feel better."

"Bren, you've got us. No matter what, you've got Angie and I. We'll always be here for you. And for the baby."


	55. A mission to save lives

_**Middle of April, mountains of Northern Iraq**_

"Seel? What are we even doing here anymore? We haven't made contact with base camp in days. We're running out of supplies. We need go to back," Hatting said.

"No, we're getting close. I know we're getting close. Right now, we're about…" Booth said, looking around, "four hundred yards from where we split up. Teddy went northwest while I went northeast. We should go the same way as Teddy. I had told him to meet me on the other side of the mountain."

Radford looked at Booth like he was insane. "You did what? Why the hell would you split up? That was damn stupid of you two. When the CO splits us up into pairs, you stay in the pairs. That's obvious, Seel."

"I know that now, dumbass. But this is the smallest mountain in the range. Insurgents must've picked him up. If we had been together, they would've gotten both of us. Would you guys still be looking if I hadn't made it back to start a whole new mission? Probably not. So now, let's forget about what Park and I did wrong and let's just find him, okay?"

Radford and Hatting nodded. The three men hiked through the fertile lands, trees scattered about. A few hours into their hike of following where Teddy could've gone, Radford pointed something out in the distance.

"Is that his pack?"

Booth nodded. When the trio reached Teddy's pack, the first thing that they saw was the blood.

"That's a lot of blood," Hatting said.

"Well his body isn't here so he's still alive…right?" Radford said.

"It's possible," Booth muttered. "I just don't know where to go from here."

The silence of the mountains was shattered when the sound of enemy weapons pierced the air. The three men dropped to the ground, attempting to make themselves unseen.

"Booth, you alright?" Radford asked.

"Yeah, Hatting? You good?"

The other soldier didn't answer. He was lying on the ground beside them, blood seeping from a wound in his neck. He was dead, and Booth knew they were in trouble.

* * *

"Bren? You okay? You've been zoning out all day. What's up?"

"Sorry, Ange, this dig research Dr. Kent brought back for me is really confusing. I don't know if this dissertation is going to be done on time."

Angela sighed and tapped her foot. She was standing in the doorway to her friend's office, watching Bren work.

"Sweetie, you shouldn't be working so hard. You need to take a chill pill. You're stressing out about everything, not just about Booth, and it's not healthy!"

"I need to work, Angela. I need to do something besides sitting by the mail box waiting for Frank to show up with a letter from Booth."

Angela nodded, understanding her reasoning. "Fine, but take a break."

"What do you suggest I do? Working seems like the most obvious distraction from thinking of Booth in danger."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Well, you need a distraction from your distraction. Let's go do something. It's finally nice out! We could go for a walk or go check out some parks that we can take the baby to when he or she is big enough. You just need to get out. You've been holed up in this office for hours, days even. And when you're not in here, you're in your office on campus. It's not healthy, Bren. You need exercise! You need fresh air!"

"Angela, I get plenty of fresh air and exercise when I walk to and from my office on campus. I'm fine. Please let me get back to work."

She shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Nope. Not happening. We are getting you out of here. Jack and I are kidnapping you today. We are going to take you shopping for the baby or…just something fun! We can go see a movie!"

"Jack complains that I talk too much during movies."

"That's because you do, sweetie. When you point out all illogical or unscientific parts of movies, you kinda ruin them. But I know what you're doing. You're trying to talk me out of making you have some fun. It's not going to happen, Bren. I will get you out of this office today if it's the last thing I do!"

Brennan heaved a sigh. She knew there was no way Angela was going to give up. "Okay, let's…go for a walk. Or, I guess I should say, you walk, I'll waddle."

"Cute, Bren. But you don't waddle. I don't know why you think you're so giant. You look gorgeous. Booth would agree with me, you know."

* * *

"Shit. What do we do, Booth?" Radford mumbled, attempting to keep quiet.

"Grab his tag. We can't take him with right now, wherever we're going."

Radford reached under the shirt of his dead friend and yanked one of the two ID tags from his neck. "I hate this. I swear this better be the last time I have to take a tag," Redford muttered. "But, seriously, Booth, where the hell are going? We can't lie here all day. They'll find us. And if we do say here 'til dark, we're gonna get lost."

"I know, I know. Just shut up a minute and let me think!" Booth racked his brain for some sort of plan. He knew Radford was right.

Slowly, and as quietly as possible, Booth pulled out his map of the area.

"Okay, we're…here," Booth whispered, pointing to a spot on the map, "and we need to follow this path to get to here, where Park and I we're supposed to meet up. Somewhere between here and there, he was taken. Or got lost."

"If he got lost, he'd still have his pack. I know you don't want to think this, but maybe these guys who are shooting at us are the same guys who took Teddy. They killed Hatting. We have to do something about this. We can't just turn around and run away!" Radford shouted.

"Keep your voice down! I know that. I didn't have any plan to run away. But we have to get out of here alive. I don't know about you, Radford, but I have a wife and kid to get home to so I'm not planning on dying. We need to think of a plan though if we're both going to get out of here with our lives and dignity intact."

Radford nodded. "Well, what are we going to do?"

"Okay, since, obviously, splitting up was a bad idea the last time I did that, we need to move. They know where we are. We can move up along that ridge and if we can get up in the trees, that might be better."

"We can't get up in the trees with our packs. They're too big."

"Alright, well…we'll just have to keep moving then. As long as we're up on the ridge and they're down here, we'll be fine."

"So then we follow them? See if they take us to Teddy?"

Booth nodded. "We need to stay far enough back so they don't know we're there."

"Okay, let's move then. We're wasting time."

They stood, but stayed low, and jogged over to where the trees began to thicken. They walked, slowly and quietly for a time, while using the map to navigate through the trees.

"Booth, get down!"

Radford dropped and hid behind a tree. Booth followed suit and looked to Radford for answers. The minute they stopped moving and actually listened to their environment, Booth could tell why Radford had stopped. He heard someone talking, not that he actually understood it. It was a local language, something he assumed Bren would at least have some idea about. They were moving closer and he could feel his heart drop. There was no way out of it. Radford and Booth were trapped. They could run, but more than likely, they'd get separated, something that was out of the question.

They stayed still, sending each other nervous glances from behind their own trees. Their company moved closer, still speaking in a language that puzzled Booth to no end. Radford looked at him for answer but Booth shot him a panicked look to shut up and shook his head. He had no idea what to do. It was the first time this had happened to him. He just froze up. Booth ran over everything he had learned in training through his head but nothing made sense at this point. And, not that he'd admit it, he was scared.

The men who killed Hatting were approaching, less than fifty feet away. Then the noise stopped. It was silent now and Booth could see the fear spread across Radford's face. The ambush happened quick. The assailants moved in on Radford first. They were outnumbered, five to two, but it didn't matter to Booth. He wasn't going to let the enemy take a third guy from his unit. He pulled one guy off of Radford and wrestled him to the ground. He heard shots fired. And then nothing.

* * *

"Ow. Ow!"

"Sweetie, are you okay?"

"No, what the hell!"

They had been home from their walk for some time. Sitting in the kitchen and eating a snack, Angela noticed Brennan was in a much better mood than she had been for the last few months and Angela was thankful that she was relaxing just a little bit. She hated seeing her friend so stressed.

"What's going on?" Jack said, walking into the room.

"I'm not sure. Bren, are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"I…I don't know. It feels like contractions. I don't know what's going on. It's too early."

Angela noticed the look of panic on her friend's face. "Are you sure they're contractions? I mean, how do you know what they feel like?"

"Well, it's what all the pregnancy books say. Shit! Damn, that hurts!" Brennan was doubled over in pain. Angela looked to Jack and saw that he was just as freaked out as Bren was.

"We should take her to the hospital," Hodgins whispered.

"Go get in the car. I'll get her bag."

"Bag?" Hodgins asked, confused.

"All those books she's been reading are making her worry about every little thing. She's been ready to go to the hospital for about two weeks now."

"I'll grab the keys. Something's not right, Ange. I'm worried."

Angela nodded and glanced over to Bren, who was grimacing though the pain.

"Sweetie, hospital. Now. No arguing. We're going."

Brennan sighed and nodded. "This is not going to turn out good, is it?"

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was so hard to write. But I didn't want the story to get dull. I hope it's okay. Please, if you have a sec, drop me a line and let me know what you think.**


	56. A risky business

"Bed rest? You're joking…right?"

"I'm afraid not, Dr. Brennan. You're stressed. And that's understandable. But you need to slow down," Dr. Francis told her, "Or this baby is going to come soon than we'd like."

"Exactly how much bed rest do you mean? Can she, I don't know, get up to eat and use the toilet or what?" Angela asked, knowing keeping her friend in bed was not going to be easy.

"I know it's not easy for anyone, especially as active in work as you, to stay in one place for so long. But I'd say hang out on the couch for the day, catch up paperwork, get a few snacks, watch TV then at night, head up to bed and stay there, doing absolutely nothing unless absolutely possible. But as long as you're still for a majority of the day and getting as much rest as you can, your preterm labor will more than likely subside. Dr. Brennan, I can't even begin to tell you how important it is for your baby to stay where he or she is until ready, but I'm sure you already know all of that."

She nodded and placed a hand on her stomach. She knew she needed to keep her baby safe. She knew working all day and well into the night on a daily basis was not what she needed to do. But it was the only thing she could do to keep her mind off of Booth.

"Thank you, Dr. Francis. When can I go home?"

Her doctor smiled. "Now, as long as your friends promise to keep you off your feet and keep your stress level down," she added, looking to Jack and Angela. They agreed and Brennan knew she wasn't going to escape Angela on this.

* * *

"Owww," Booth groaned. As his eyes adjusted to the harsh light, the throbbing pain from the back of his head worsened.

He heard a familiar chuckle. "Alright, Seel, really? You came by yourself to find me? Did you piss off the colonel or something?"

"Teddy? Ow. Where's Radford? Are you okay?"

"Radford came with?"

Booth looked around the room. It was a small room, with only one window where the light was streaming through up near the ceiling. There was a light on in the room. It was a florescent light, giving the room a clinical feel with the cruel beam. Booth went to stretch his arms but found one wrist chained to an exposed pipe on the wall. Booth looked to Teddy, who flashed him his own chained wrist and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah he was with me. We got attacked. They killed Hatting."

"Well," Teddy sighed, "if Radford's not here, he's probably dead too."

"Shit. Damn, this hurts!" Booth cried, holding the back of his head.

"Yeah they got me there too. You gonna be okay?"

Booth nodded slightly. "I will be as soon as I get out of here. You okay?"

"Eh. I'm fine. I'd be better if I had some food. They give me a little bit. They'll probably use us as bargaining tools, huh?"

"I'm having a son," Booth blurted, ignoring Teddy's comment.

"Shit, man! Congrats! That's awesome!"

"Well…yeah, but not if I can't meet him. We gotta get outta here."

Teddy gave a wry laugh. "They took your boots, Seel. You wanna try to escape barefoot?"

Booth glanced to his feet, which were in fact bare. He punched the ground out of frustration. "So what are we gonna do, Park? I can't stay here."

"I know that. I've been counting the days. If they don't find us in a few months, my guess is they gave up. I've been here for only five. Did you know the chain for our ID tags have three hundred and sixty five beads? I've been biting them off but that's 'cause I think my hand is broken. They broke it," Teddy told him, holding up his mangled left hand. His fingers were obviously broken, stuck in ways that made them look like wire toys.

Booth cringed, the thought of a broken hand made his own hands hurt. "Did they take everything you had or is it all with your pack back out on the ridge?"

"They took my pistol. But that's about it." Teddy reached into his breast pocket and took out a folded picture. "I still have my picture," he told him, looking at the photograph of his girlfriend.

Booth did the same, pulling out his two favorite pictures from the most recent package he had received, the ultrasound picture and a picture of a very pregnant Bren. He smiled and showed them to Teddy.

"Wow! She's gorgeous. I mean, I know I told you that before but being knocked up really suits her."

Booth rolled his eyes at his friend's comment, but he knew it was true. She was beautiful, and he was missing out.

"So how are we getting out of here?" Teddy asked.

"Give me a minute to think. You've been here longer. Haven't you come up with any ideas?"

He nodded and held up his broken hand. "I tried, and they did this. I'm guessing there are at least five of them."

"I counted five when Radford and I got attacked. There might be more though."

"When was the last time you talked to base camp?"

Booth thought it over in his head, which was still throbbing from the bump they gave him. "Probably…three days ago. First, our batteries wouldn't recharge and then we lost range. We were arguing over whether or not to turn back when we found your pack. Honestly, I'm surprised they left it. I would've assumed they would've used whatever supplies you had. How did you try leaving last time?"

"They used some sort of rope. I stretched it out enough to wiggle my hand out and ran out the door. It wasn't really thought out all that well but I didn't really know what else to do. I figured that window was too small for me to get out of. Plus, that pipe doesn't look sturdy enough to boost myself up. If it burst, it probably would've given me away."

Booth nodded, agreeing with his friend. "Assuming we can get out of these chains and assuming we outnumber whoever comes in once we do get out of the chains, we can disarm them and use their weapons to fight our way out. But…you know what they say when you assume…"

Teddy looked confused. "No. What do they say?"

Booth let out a hearty laugh and Teddy gave him a dirty look. "Sorry, man. You sounded like my wife. She'd probably say the exact same thing you just did. They say when you assume, you make an ass out you and me. Which, in this case, is true. We can't just pretend like this is going to go well. Most likely, we're not getting out of here soon," Booth said, his mood instantly changing. "We need to plan this out a bit more. God, my girl's gonna kill me when she finds out what's going on."

* * *

"Bren, you were up all night. Maybe you should go take a nap before spending the whole day on the couch," Angela suggested, helping Brennan through the front door.

"That…might be a good idea. Angela, I can get up the stairs by myself. Just because I have gone into preterm labor and have been prescribed bed rest does not mean I can no longer do things for myself."

Angela sighed and released her grip on her friend's arm. "Fine. Will you at least let me make you something to eat when you wake up?"

"Brennan smiled at her. "Sure. Thanks, Ange."

"Of course, sweetie. Don't worry about what time you wake up. You need to sleep."

"I know, Ange."

Jack and Angela watched their friend slowly make her way up to her bedroom.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Angela asked her boyfriend, "I mean, this can't be easy on her."

Hodgins shrugged. "She'll be fine. You just gotta give her some time, Ange. In a few months, when the baby comes, she'll be a lot better. And when Booth comes back, everything will go back to normal."

"But she's really worried about him, Jack. She hasn't heard from him in a long time. She's sent so many letters but she hasn't gotten anything. I have to get the mail before she does so she doesn't rip Frank a new one. Every day, she waits for a letter, and when Frank shows up practically empty handed, she makes him check his bag again."

"I know, baby. I wish we could do something about it but Booth's okay. Until we hear otherwise, he's okay," Jack said.

She nodded and gave him a lingering kiss. "I'm gonna go make her a big breakfast now because I know she won't sleep long. What do you think: pancakes, eggs, bacon, and potatoes?"

"Are you going to make enough for me too? Whoa, wait! Would Bren even eat the bacon?"

Angela smiled. "Yeah! You haven't seen her eat a burger, have you?" Jack shook his head. "She's been eating meat for the baby. I'm not sure she likes it but she's doing it for the nutrition. I can say, the minute she stops breastfeeding, she'll probably quit her meat habit."

Jack laughed. "I'm sure you're right. But, seriously, are you going to make enough for me to?"

"Only if you help," she told him, a mischievous look creeping up on her face.

They made their way into the kitchen and, in between romping around and being unable to keep their hands off each other, they made breakfast. They were busy attempting not to burn the pancakes when they received a knock at the front door. When Angela finally pulled herself away from Hodgins, she pulled the door open.

"Are you Dr. Temperance Brennan?" There were two men, both dressed in service uniforms. They were both tall, taller than Booth, but neither were Rangers. The ribbons on their uniforms were few and far between and the amount of tabs above the ribbons was slim as well, indicating both were probably relatively new to the service.

"Uh…no. I'm not…I'm-ˮ Angela stammered.

"I'm Dr. Brennan," Bren said, standing half way up the stairs. "What's going on?"

"Dr. Brennan, I need to speak with you. May we come in?"

Brennan nodded and shot a nervous glance to Angela. She returned the look and guided Bren to the living room.

"Sweetie, you need to lie down. I'll bring you your breakfast," Angela told her, walking to the kitchen.

Brennan and the soldiers sat on the couch and Brennan put her feet up on the ottoman. "I'm on bed rest," she explained. The first man nodded and smiled gently at her.

"I'm not supposed to be under any stress," Brennan continued, as if challenging the man to do just that. She looked him over and noticed he was fidgety.

"Ma'am, I'm Private First Class Metcalf. This is Private Eberle. We have something to tell you. About your husband."

"Oh, my god!" Angela said, walking back with Brennan's plate of food. She set it down on the coffee table and sat next to Brennan. "Is Booth okay? I mean, he's okay, right?"

"Corporal Booth has gone missing in action. He was sent on a mission to find another soldier and has not returned to base camp. We found the bodies of two other soldiers he was with but we have not found him. We will let you know as soon as we know something. I'm so sorry, Dr. Brennan," he told her.

She nodded and shook off the tears that were threatening to fall. "I expect to be kept informed. The minute you know something, the minute you find him, I expect at least a call," she demanded, her voice losing its shakiness and gaining the tone when speaking to one of her students.

"Of course, ma'am. I'm very sorry, but we need to head back."

Brennan didn't say anything as Metcalf and Eberle stood and let themselves out.

"Sweetie…" Angela was at a loss for words. Jack stood in the kitchen doorway, staring at the two of them.

"Angela, will you hand me my plate? I am quite hungry."

"Bren, are you okay? Do you wanna talk?"

"No. As far as we know, he's still alive. I'm fine. Will you please hand me my plate? And can I have a glass of orange juice?"

XXX

**A/N: Thank you to **Alyj **for your pointers. My mistakes have been fixed! **


	57. A revision to their plans

**A/N: Okay, it's a quick and short update, but I wanted to get this out of there because I'm working a lot this weekend and my cousin is coming home from Spain so we have a bunch of family stuff going on too but I wanted to get this up in case I didn't get a chance to write this weekend. Sorry it's so short, but please, let me know what you think!**

* * *

"Sweetie, you need to talk about this. I need to talk about this!"

"Ange, I have faith in Booth. I have faith he'll come home to me and our son."

"Wait, what did you just say?"

Brennan smiled and turned so she could see both Angela and Jack. "I appreciate the fact that you two have been attempting to not spoil the surprise but you two are really bad at hiding it. Angela, last week, when you were painting the nursery, you had blue paint in your hair for about an hour before you realized it. And, Jack, you can shop for the baby all you want, but don't leave the shopping bags in front of the front door. The blue onesies gave me a hint. Oh, and Booth only sent back ideas on boy names so he kind of gave it away too."

"Brennan, I am _so_ sorry!"

"Shit, sweetie, I can't believed we ruined it!"

Brennan laughed. "I kind of suspected this. All of the pregnancy books gave clues on how to figure it out without having an ultrasound technician read the monitor."

"Wow, sweetie, why didn't you say something?" Angela said, with a laugh, "You would've saved us a lot of trouble. And now you can help us plan the nursery!"

Brennan smiled at Angela and took a bite of bacon. "I will help but I'm sure you and Booth already have it all figured out," she said, her face falling a little bit more the long their conversation lasted.

"Sweetie, I want your opinion on the nursery. Bren, I think you need to talk about this."

"Angela, I am fine. I will be fine. Making me talk about my husband potentially not coming home from war is not going to help my stress level. I need calm. And making me talk about it is not going to keep me calm. So, if I decide I want to talk, I promise, you will be the first one I come to."

"That is a deal I can make."

* * *

While they were planning their escape, their captors walked in. Teddy looked away while Booth stared them down. The three men said something to him and he, of course, didn't respond. One man walked to a corner and started pulling at the pipe the two soldiers were attached to. The man took out a foot long section and began to pace in front of Booth. He said something again, and still, Booth didn't answer. The man with the pipe stooped over him, waiting for an answer. Booth gave the man a cocky, superior grin, like he had no regard for what the man was about to do to him.

The man gave him a sadistic grin back. He stood up and slapped the sole of Booth's foot with the pipe. Booth cried out from his spot on the floor and tried kicking the man away with his unbeaten foot. The man took a swing at Booth's other foot and made contact and Booth could feel the crunch of bones beneath his skin. But he fought back. And Teddy did too.

But the two captured soldiers only stopped when they found themselves staring down the business ends of two enemy AK-47s held by the other two men. Booth and Teddy stopped, afraid what would happen if they moved anymore. The first man started beating Booth's feet again and Booth held in his shouts of pain. His cries became more muffled the more his feet began to bleed.

After what seemed like hours of beating, their captors left and threw the blood coved pipe down next to Booth for later use.

"Seel?"

"Yeah?"

"You alright?"

"Yeah. I'm okay. Shit, that hurt."

"They broken?"

"Yep," he let out a sigh, "Yeah, yeah, they're broken. Shit, this ruins our plan. If I can't walk, we gotta figure something else out. I'm not sitting here for days on end waiting for the colonel to come find us. Because I can bet he thinks we're dead."

"Okay, so I have a broken hand and you have two broken feet. How in God's name are we getting out of here?"


	58. A change in scenery

_**End of May**_

"I don't get it."

"Get what?"

"How can they come in here, kick my ass…and yours…and then come back twenty minutes later to give us food like nothing happened?"

"Seel, honestly, I wouldn't complain."

"Seriously, Park? You 'wouldn't complain'?"

Teddy flinched and then said to explain himself, "I just mean that we're still alive, right? They would've killed us by now if they didn't need us for something. We have a chance here, Seel."

"A chance for what? They re-break my feet every damn day and they've started smashing your hand again. I can't get these chains off. I haven't talked to my wife in at least a month. I've lost track."

"You've been here about a month and a half, give or take a few days."

"You've been counting, Park?" Booth asked, mockingly.

"Yes. I have. You told me your kid was due about the second week of July. You have about a month and a week before he shows up by my guess and I know you know your wife is worried about you. But you're starting to sound like you've given up."

"I haven't!" Booth roared. "But what else are we supposed to do? Damn it, Ted, I doubt I could walk if we got out of these chains. We're stuck here. Until someone finds us, we're stuck here. I wanna get home and see Bren and see my baby but I can't. We can't. They haven't found us. And they won't."

"You're being awfully negative," Teddy taunted, attempting to lighten up the mood.

"Teddy, I'm not in the mood to mess around."

"Neither am I. We need a fool proof plan to get out of here."

"Okay, genius, since I've had so many fool proof ideas, why don't you think of something?"

"I did," he said, holding up two free hands as the chains dropped from his wrist.

* * *

"Sweetie, you can't keep doing this, you know. Do you have any idea how many stamps we've gone through? They're starting to know Jack and I by name down at the Post Office."

"Please, Ange. I need you to do this for me. It may seem unnecessary or excessive, but when he does find his way back to his base camp, he'll have all sorts of mail."

"It's not hate mail, is it?"

Brennan smiled. "No. I was never hateful toward him. Upset…even, furious, yes, but I have come to the conclusion that I am very worried about him and it is normal to mask one feeling with another."

"Bren! What has gotten into you?" Angela laughed. "You're talking psychology now, you know that, right?"

"I have come to terms with psychology in that it is a science in its own way, a science that I do not necessarily agree with."

"Okay, Bren, if you say so," Angela told her, the grin on her face growing wider.

"Plus, it keeps me from getting bored. And he seems to like it when I mention his father," Brennan said, tapping on her baby bump. She could feel him kicking and shifting around inside. Brennan flinched as the baby settled in some uncomfortable position for her. Angela watched as Brennan massaged her side, whispering softly for him to move. He kicked, and Angela's eyes widened as she saw the little outline of his foot on Brennan's stomach. Brennan relaxed a bit and settled back down after cajoling her son to move again.

"What was that?" Angela cried.

"I was talking to him. Some of the pregnancy books said that if you talk to the fetus, they will move in response to your voice."

"Okay, but did you see that? I mean, you saw that, right? You saw what I saw?"

"His foot?"

Angela nodded.

"He does that a lot. He likes to kick hard. He's quite strong and, at times, it can hurt."

"Wow. That was…wow."

Brennan smiled. "It is a rather enjoyable experience. I wish Booth could see it."

Angela perked up. "Will he do it again if we talk to him?"

She nodded. "Most likely. He really does it when I give him a little nudge. If I just rub my side a little bit like this…" Brennan showed her again and the baby kicked, his little foot yet once again, appearing beneath Brennan's skin. "He does it every time," Bren said, grinning at Angela.

"Let me get my camera! You're right, Booth will want to see it!"

* * *

"How did you do that?" Booth asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.

He held up a fork with bent prongs. "I picked the lock. They're getting lazy. They've been starting to leave stuff in here with us. They left the fork in here a few days ago when they gave us some food."

Teddy stood up and walked the short distance to Booth. He picked the lock on his chains and held out a hand to Booth.

"Okay, first things first: let's see if you can stand."

Booth nodded and took a deep breath. He could feel the pain throbbing in his feet as he placed them flat on the ground.

"How's it feel? Are you okay?" Teddy asked him.

"My right hurts worse than my left. If we get out of here, you might have to help me walk. But I think I'm okay."

"Okay here's the plan," Teddy whispered so he could listen for anyone approaching.

* * *

"Ange! I'm bored! I need to do something!"

"Okay, I'll find you something to do, but seriously, Brennan, you have to stay off your feet. I am not kidding. If you don't, I will kidnap you and you can finish out your bed rest sentence in the hospital."

"Okay, okay!"

"I have an idea. You might want to come into the kitchen for this. It might get messy."

Brennan gave Angela a weary look before she disappeared to find something for Brennan to do. She returned just seconds later as Bren took a seat at the kitchen table. Angela set a large bucket full of different colored paints down in front of her.

"Angela, you want me to paint a picture?" She nodded. "You are the artist, not me. And I need paper if I'm going to paint."

"No, no paper. You are going to paint him," Angela said, the grin on her face becoming larger and larger. She was pointing to Brennan's bulging stomach.

"I don't know, Angela…"

"Look, Bren, I checked it out. It's non toxic paint. It's actually face paint. You want something fun, right? Well here you go! Go on, paint away!"

Angela ran off, leaving Brennan staring at the paints. Slowly, she took the purple paint out of the bucket and fished out a paint brush to go with it. She twisted the cap off of the paint and lifted her shirt to expose her stomach. She dipped the paint brush into the paint.

Brennan cringed at the first cold feeling of the paint. Starting at her navel, she painted a spiral around. She then heard the ever familiar, ever present sound of Angela's camera.

"Really, Ange?"

"Duh, sweetie! Are you going to let me paint something?"

Brennan smiled at her friend. "Okay, but don't get too carried away."

Some time later, the pair was laughing harder than they ever had. Brennan had little designs and even small pictures drawn by the more artistic of the two painted all over her bump.

"I really should go shower. Otherwise, I'm going to have stained skin for a while."

Angela nodded. "But only if you promise we can do this again! That was fun. And a lot of pictures for Booth to see when he comes home." The moment Angela mentioned his named, she knew it was a mistake.

"If. _If _he comes home," Brennan muttered.

"No. Don't you dare start talking like that."

"I haven't heard from him in almost two months. And I haven't heard from anyone from the Army since they told me he went missing. I have to start being realistic. I can't go on pretending that he's going to be okay. And I've come to the conclusion that, if necessary, I can raise a baby on my own. I have a good job, there are good schools in the area and-ˮ

"Brennan, I swear on my life, you have to stop thinking like that. Why can't you be optimistic and think he'll come home?"

"Because the last time I thought that, I ended up in foster care."

* * *

"Can you walk on your own?"

Booth tried. He hobbled around a bit but as soon as Teddy gave him some support, he was almost walking like normal despite the help.

"How's that hand of yours?"

"I'm used to the pain. I can still hold that pipe. I can grip it. If worse comes to worse, you're up against a wall fighting them while I try to pull them off of you. And this is assuming there's only five here. We can take three at a time if we ambush them as they walk in. Then, if we have to fight two others, we'll be evenly matched. And once we get out, we have to find our way back to camp."

"So potentially, we could be back at camp with decent food in…what? Three days?"

Teddy nodded but looked skeptical.

"Okay, I hear them coming. You ready, Seel?"

Booth nodded once and they shuffled to hid behind the door. As their captors walked in, Teddy took out the first man with one hard knock to the head with the same pipe that had broken Booth's feet. The other two scuffled in and Booth and Teddy jumped on them wrestling their guns away from them. The three men were dead quickly and, after slinging the guns over their shoulders, Booth and Teddy darted out the door.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so there's some progress with Booth! And I'm surprised I got this up. But, unfortunately, I don't expect to have anything up until at the earliest Sunday night. But I'd like to thank everyone who has left a review in the past and I would love to know what you guys think! **


	59. A thought full of negativity

As they made their way through the maze of hallways, Teddy and Booth seemed to run into no problems. But Booth was having troubles walking and with Teddy's broken hand, their progress was slow. They found their way out without a confrontation with anyone else. They hobbled a ways from the building from which they had just escaped and sat behind some trees for a moment.

"Holy shit. I can't believe we got out," Teddy whispered.

"Believe it, bud. We gotta keep moving though. Which way is camp?"

Teddy looked around. He didn't say anything for quite some time.

"Park, do you know which way camp is?" Booth asked again a bit louder.

"Shh. Hold on. I'm thinking! Uh…well that way is…North. I think. So we want to go south. Southeast I think."

"You think or you know?"

"I think. I got all turned around in there. I'm not sure which way is up anymore."

Booth sat up a little higher, attempting to orient himself. "Southeast it is," Booth agreed, "Let me sit a minute though. My feet are killing me."

"Seel, we need to keep moving. The other two are around here somewhere. Once they find out we escaped and killed their friends, they're gonna come after us."

Booth groaned. "Alright, alright. Give me a help up." Teddy stooped over and pulled Booth's arm across his shoulders. With one big heave, Booth was back on his feet.

* * *

Brennan walked up to her room and stripped down to shower. As she let the warm water flow over her, she could feel her control slipping. She didn't want to admit it, but the argument she had just had with Angela revealed something to her. She knew she loved Booth with her whole heart, and that scared her, but what she didn't realize was how much she depended on him. Just the thought of changing diapers and late night feedings scared the shit out of her if she thought about it without Booth in the picture.

She knew she should be more positive, but her past had prevented her from doing just that. She had an undying faith in her husband. She knew he would do everything in his power to come home safely, but she knew things like that we're not his choice.

Brennan thought over Booth's irrational superstitions, like cosmic balance or fate. To Booth, everything that happens has happened for a reason. She shook her head, dismissing the notion.

She wanted to believe Booth would come home alive. She wanted to believe her son would meet his father. But she knew better than that. She knew better than to hope for something that couldn't happen.

She climbed out of the shower and dried herself off, struggling just a bit with her long legs that she couldn't reach. It was only the middle of the day, but she dressed in pajamas and climbed in bed. Pulling Booth's unused pillow toward her, she took a deep breath in, expecting to breathe in his scent. But it wasn't there. And she knew it was something she would have to get used to.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I lied. I ended up typing this up before work, but now I'm serious, I won't be able to write for a while. BUT, I do have an idea of how this is going to end! Finally! AND I have ideas for a sequel! So let me know what you guys think and whether or not you're interested in a sequel.**


	60. A family kind of feeling

_**Beginning of June**_

"Park, are you sure you know where camp is? I'm pretty sure we've passed that tree before."

"Shut up, Booth. I think we're just getting turned around."

Booth rolled his eyes. "Teddy, I'm not kidding. We need to find camp. We can't sleep in trees anymore. Sure, we can scavenge for food but I haven't seen a stream in a while. If we don't have water, we're toast."

"Okay, okay. Uh, you wanna sit for a bit while I figure this out?"

Booth nodded and Teddy helped him sit. Booth's feet, despite being bare, seemed to be healing. Booth knew enough from Brennan's work that most likely his feet would have to be re-broken in order to heal properly, but that was the least of his worries. He was just worried about surviving at this point.

"Okay, so I think we're gonna have to get out of these woods. It'll expose us a bit, and they might see us, but we're not gonna get anywhere without getting out of the woods."

"Alright, then. Let's get going."

"You wanna rest a bit more?"

"Nah, we gotta move. Let's go."

* * *

"Brennan! We're back!" Angela called as she climbed the stairs to Bren's room.

"I'm in the baby's room," Brennan shouted back.

Angela and Jack walked into the nursery and found Brennan sitting in the rocking chair with her eyes closed. She seemed to be napping but the grin on her face suggested otherwise.

"You two spent a very long time at the store," she told them.

"Sweetie, we have to get ready for the baby before he comes. Okay, check it out. We picked up diapers to maybe last us a month, we got a few pacifiers, some rattles and other little toys. Look, we've stocked up wipes and baby shampoo and we even found a little baby bathtub!"

"You really didn't have to go do all of that, Ange."

"Yes, we did! You're not allowed to get up and walk that much!"

"Angela, really. It's been taken care of," Brennan told her, gesturing to the diapers and wipes taking over the new changing table and the bottles of shampoo and the little tub in the corner of the room.

"How…wait, did you do this?" Jack asked.

Brennan smiled and shook her head. "Nope. I had a few other helpers."

"Well, Jack Hodgins! Are you back to try and kick my ass at dominoes? 'Cause you know I'll whoop ya every time!" Hank shouted from behind them.

"Mr. Booth! When did you get here?" Jack asked him.

"Not too long ago. Stopped at the store on the way in. Figured my great-grandson would need some supplies when he got here."

"Is Jared here too?" Angela asked.

Hank nodded. "He's sleeping in the guest room right now. He's very excited to see you, Angela."

"I'm sure he is," Jack mumbled. Angela elbowed him gently.

"Bren, do you need anything?" Angela asked her.

Brennan shook her head. "Let's just play some dominoes."

"There's no way you're going to beat me," Jack boasted. "I've been working on strategy!"

"Yeah, right, Sport," Hank scoffed, "You'll never beat me!"

Brennan followed everyone out of the nursery with a smile on her face, finally getting used to the feeling of a family.

* * *

**A/N: So for the next few days, I'll just be posting just a little at a time. I have to work a lot before I move again so things are going to be a little hectic. But I'm going to post as much as possible! Thanks for reading and drop me a line if you can!**


	61. A friendly face

_**Third week of June (Three weeks until Brennan's due date)**_

"It's going to hurt, isn't it?"

Hank shrugged. "My Elsie, Seeley's grandma, she was a trooper. She powered through labor like it was nothing. But Lizzie, oh boy…I remember when Lizzie had Shrimp. Wow, I could hear her screaming all the way down the hall. So, who knows, you may be fine. You may not even need the drugs."

Brennan nodded worriedly. And to be honest, she had almost forgotten about Booth's mom. She was about to be a grandma and Brennan doubted she knew. She wanted to tell Lizzie. She liked his mom. But after they found her, Booth had cut all ties. She left him and then he left her.

"So, should I take the drugs or not?"

Hank shook his head. "Wait to see if the first contractions hurt. If they do, I'd say take 'em. If not, hold off as long as you can. If you want, that is."

"How long will it take? The pregnancy books said the average first time mother is in labor for eighteen hours. I'm not sure I want to be in pain for that amount of time."

"You'll be fine, sweetheart. You're one tough cookie, Bren, I wouldn't worry about it. But, uh, I have a question for you."

"Sure."

"I don't want to stress you out, but have you heard from Seeley?"

She looked away from Hank and attempted to keep the tears from filling her eyes. "No. I have not."

"Okay. Okay, it's fine, sweetheart, just don't you worry about Seeley. He's coming home to you. I know it."

"It's impossible for you to know something like that."

"It's impossible for you to know that he won't come home," Hank told her, "I can promise you, he's doing everything in his power to make it home safely. He'll be home before you know it."

"I really hope you're right, Pops."

"I know I am."

* * *

"Seel? Do you see that? Is that what I think it is?"

"It's a humvee. It's not an American humvee though. We have to stop them. They can help us."

"Okay, I'll carry you. We can move faster if I carry you."

"You can't lift me!" Booth laughed.

"I know, you fatty," Parker jabbed back, "Okay, I'll go flag them down. You sit here."

He helped Booth sit in the sand and ran to the oncoming tank.

Booth had never been so relieved to see a friendly face.

"It's the British special forces. They're going to help us out. You won't have to walk anymore!" Teddy yelled, running back to where Booth sat. He helped Booth stand and they waited for the vehicle to pull up.

The humvee pulled up and Booth introduced himself.

"I'm Lieutenant Oliver. Corporal Parker has said you got lost?"

"Sort of. We escaped capture. Two of the men we were with are dead and now we're trying to find our camp. Can you help us?"

"We would never leave some one behind," Oliver told him, and Booth let out a sigh of relief.

"You look like you could use a seat," Oliver said, looking towards his feet. Booth nodded. Two of Oliver's soldiers held out their hands to give Parker and Booth a boost into the humvee.

"I hate to break it to you boys, but we have to go finish up our mission before we can take you back to your own camp. We can get you in contact with them. That way, they know you're safe. And we have a medic that's gonna meet us at a rendezvous point here in the next few miles. You can go with them and get checked out."

"We really appreciate everything, Lieutenant. Thank you," Booth told him sincerely.

"Well, I've been in your position before, Corporal. A few American troops back in the day saved my life. I'm just paying it forward."


	62. A long awaited phone call

_**June 29**__**th**__** (Thirteen days until Brennan's due date)**_

"Is this your camp, Booth?" Lieutenant Oliver asked.

"Yes, sir. That's our camp. Sir, I can't thank you enough for all you've done for us."

"It was our pleasure, Booth. You and Corporal Parker even helped us a bit. That strategy of yours was genius."

"Corporal Parker? Booth? Holy shit! They told us you were alive but we didn't really believe it!" Private Jensen said as Booth and Teddy emerged from the British humvee.

"Believe it, Private. Where's the Colonel?"

"In the mess tent. Damn, you two look like a hot mess."

"Thanks, Private," Teddy said wryly. Booth and Teddy turned back to the British soldiers. "Really, thank you for everything."

"No problem, boys," Oliver said, "We need to head back to our own camp. Take care."

The two rescued Rangers said their goodbyes to the men who saved their lives and made their way to the mess tent to find their commanding officer.

Booth was walking almost normally now, still limping just a bit. He was still in pain, but from the help of the British medic, his feet had been patched up, just waiting for a doctor to look at them.

"Parker! Booth!" The cries came from the soldiers in the mess tent. People were cheering for them, glad to have at least two of the four missing soldiers back.

The colonel noticed their entrance and met them half way.

"Glad to have you back, Parker, Booth," The colonel told them. "We found Hatting and Radford. Their bodies have been sent home. We're going to get you two to the main US base in Baghdad to be checked out by doctors and from there, we'll send you up to Germany before going home."

"We're going home?" Teddy asked.

"Yes, after what you two have been through, you are not expected or required to stay. I'm actually recommending that both of you be sent home. Go grab your stuff and we'll have someone drive you to Baghdad. If your injuries aren't too severe, you may be back in the states for Independence Day."

"Wait! What's today?" Booth asked.

"June twenty ninth," someone supplied. Booth grinned and started laughing.

"Someone want to tell me what's going on?" The colonel asked.

"My wife's due date is the twelfth. I might be home by then. Maybe I can see my kid come into the world after all."

The colonel smiled at him. "Go pack up your gear, soldier. Let's get your feet fixed up and back to the states."

"Yes, sir," Booth called as he and Parker went back to their tent. They folded back the flaps to their cots. Sitting on his one last time, Booth picked up the stack of letters he found on the end of his bed. They were all from Brennan. Worried by the amount and the frequency of the postmarks, Booth tore them open. They all said the same thing for the most part. There was the constant I-love-yous and I-miss-yous but the more letters he went through, the more he noticed how sad she sounded. But when he came to the letter that told him about her being bed ridden, he immediately felt guilty. She told him she was stressed and that is what caused the preterm labor. She didn't say it, but he knew the stress was over him. She needed to know he was safe. She needed to know he was coming home.

"Corporal Booth? Corporal Parker? Are you ready to leave? I've been instructed to drive you to Baghdad. It'll take about a day to get there."

"I'm ready. You ready, Seel?"

"Uh, yeah, give me a sec," Booth told them. He pulled down the pictures from the side of the tent. They were the pictures of Bren and his friends and family and the sonogram pictures. After making sure he didn't leave one thing behind, he limped out of the tent to the humvee that lead to home.

* * *

_**The next day (July 1**__**st**__**)**_

They arrived at the main camp in Baghdad and went straight to the medical unit. They had their own buildings set up. The buildings weren't in the best condition, but it was better than a tent. Teddy was taken back first and had his hand checked over by a doctor, who immediately recommended he be sent up to Germany for surgery after reading Teddy's hand x-ray.

"I'll wait here for ya, bud. How much you wanna bet you're coming to Germany with me?" Teddy said, as the doctor escorted Booth back.

"Corporal Booth, I'm Major Tomlinson. It's your feet that has been the most afflicted, am I correct?"

Booth nodded and let the doctor examine his feet. With just one touch, pain shot through him and Booth knew this wasn't good. Tomlinson took his other foot and once again, he was in pain. After Booth was sent for x-rays, the doctor told him he would need surgery and intense physical therapy to recover from this trauma. Realizing what that meant, Booth asked, "Will I be able to take care of my family? I have a son on the way. I need to be able to take care of him."

Tomlinson nodded. "I don't expect your recovery to take a very long time but you will need help walking again for a while. It will be painful. But you can plan on teaching your kid to play football or baseball. You'll recover in no time. You're young, you're healthy, and you're going to be just fine. I'm going to make the arrangements to fly you and Corporal Parker out of here by tonight. You should be in Germany by morning. You can expect to have your surgery right away. They'll need to re-set all of your tarsals but you'll be out for it. Something that painful, you don't need to be awake for it."

"When do you think I can be back home?"

"Well, I'd say by maybe the fifth or sixth, assuming your surgery goes as planned, with no complications."

"That's perfect, sir. Thank you."

"Of course, Corporal. Let's get you two on your way."

"Major, can I ask a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Is there somewhere I can call my wife? I haven't talked to her in months."

Major Tomlinson smiled at him. "If you ask Captain Lewis, I'm sure she can get you all set up with a phone while we get your transport ready."

"Thank you, sir."

Booth made his way back to where Teddy was waiting for him and asked the soldier putting files away for Captain Lewis. The young man led him and Teddy back to another exam room.

"Captain, these men are looking for you," the young soldier said. Captain Lewis was a tall, tan woman who had a formidable look about her.

"Ma'am, I was told by Major Tomlinson that you could help me get in contact with my wife in the states."

"Sure! Why don't you follow me," she said. She lead them down a hall to a small open area. It looked like a lounge, with other wounded soldiers relaxing in the quiet room.

"There," she pointed to a pay phone attached to the wall. "Do you have a calling card?"

Booth's face fell. "No, I…I've been on a smaller base. We don't even have a phone."

She smiled and pulled a small card out of her pocket. "Here, use mine."

"No, I don't want to take your minutes off of it. I'd feel horrible if you couldn't talk to your own family."

"My daughter sends me probably two cards a week. I have enough to last me a while. Please, take it. Talk as long as you want."

Booth smiled at her and extended his hand. "Thank you, ma'am. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem, Corporal. I'm glad I can help you," she said, shaking his hand.

Booth took the calling card and walked to the phone. After dialing all sorts of numbers and codes, he heard the phone ring. For some reason, he felt nervous. He was worried about her. He was worried about her worrying.

"_Hello?"_

"Bren?"

"_Booth?"_

"Hi, babe. How are you?"

"_Oh my god, are you okay? Where are you? What's going on?"_

"I'm in Baghdad. I'm okay, but I'm going to Germany with Teddy. How are you? How's the baby? I got all of your letters. Is Angela making sure you stay off your feet?"

"_Yes. She's being very annoying about it. The baby's okay, but I'm ready for him to be here?"_

"Did Angela ruin your surprise?"

"_Angela, Jack and you did. You three were not every conspicuous about hiding the truth from me. You only sent back your thoughts on boy names, Jack left a shopping bag full of boys clothes right by the front door and Angela had blue paint in her hair from painting the nursery."_

"I'm sorry, babe. Next time, we'll keep it a secret together."

"_Next time?"_

"Well, he's going to need a little sister."

"_Why are you going to Germany?"_

"Nice change of subject, Bren," he said, laughing, "I, uh, I need surgery."

"_Are you hurt?"_

"I'm not going to lie to you but I don't want you to worry, okay?"

"_I will do my best to keep my stress level down for the baby."_

"Teddy and I were taken captive for a while. That's why you didn't hear from me. But they broke the bones in my feet and I was there for so long that they didn't set properly. I have to go to Germany for better equipment. But I get to come home, babe. I could be home in time to see our little guy."

There was no answer for a long while and he didn't pressure her to say anything.

"_When are you leaving for Germany?"_

"Soon. Teddy needs surgery too. We're going to get that taken care of as soon as we can."

"_I miss you, Booth."_

"I miss you, too, babe. I'll be home before you know it. I love you so much."

"_I love you, too. Will you let me know when you get to Germany?"_

"I'll do my best, Bren. Keep the little one safe, okay? I'll see you soon."

"_I can't wait, Booth. I love you."_

He smiled. It was so good to hear her voice but he knew he had to leave soon. He knew the sooner he left, the faster he could get home to her.

"I love you, too, Bren. I'll talk to you soon."

"_Okay…bye."_

"Bye." Hanging up the phone made him hurt but he was ready to go to Germany. Major Tomlinson appeared in the lounge as he hung up and told them they had a plane ready to take them to their first destination.

* * *

_**July 2**__**nd**_

"Corporal Booth, I'm Dr. Graham. I'll be performing your surgery. I know a few other doctors and nurses went over the procedure with you but do you have any questions for me?"

"Just one: Could you call my wife when it's over? She's not going to believe me when I say it went well. She'd take it a lot better if she knew someone like you saying that things went well."

The doctor laughed. "I can do that, Corporal. No questions about the surgery itself?"

"No, sir. I'm ready to get it over with and get out of here. No offense, sir."

"None taken. I'll have them prep you for surgery and we can get started soon."

A few hours later, after a successful surgery, Booth was back in his hospital room.

"Dr. Graham, he's not waking up," a nurse said, worriedly.

After checking Booth's vitals, the doctor said, "He's had a bad reaction to the anesthesia. I still need to call his wife. What time is it in the states?"

The nurse looked at her watch. "It's after midnight on the east coast."

He nodded. "I'll call her in the morning. She's probably already asleep."

* * *

"Bren, they're not going to call tonight. Get to bed. You can keep the phone by you just in case they do call."

"I really don't think I'm going to be able to sleep. I'm still so worried about him."

"Sweetie, he's out of a war zone and he's coming straight back here. All you need to do is be excited that he's safe and that he'll be here soon."

Brennan sighed, knowing Angela was not going to give up on this.

"Fine, but make sure I don't sleep too late."

Angela smiled. "Okay, sweetie. Just rest up. You're going to miss your sleep once the baby comes."

"He's not coming for at least another week. I'll be fine. Don't forget to wake me up!"

"Okay, Bren. I'll make sure you're up. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Angela."

Brennan went into her room and changed for bed. As she climbed into her bed, she reached to her nightstand and picked up the phone. She layed her head on her pillow and set the phone next to her, waiting to hear his voice again.

* * *

**A/N: Yay for a long update! :) I just realized how close we're getting to the end of this story! I'm not sure how many chapters are left but it's not much! If you have a moment and feel inclined, please leave me your awesome, kind words!**


	63. A voice of reason

_**July 3**__**rd **__**(Nine days until Brennan's due date)**_

"Bren, sweetie, wake up! There's a doctor on the phone for you!"

"No, Ange, go away. I wanna sleep," she mumbled.

"Brennan, I'm not kidding. There's a doctor from Germany on the phone for you. He has news about Booth."

After a quick thought process of yesterday's events, she sat up fast, giving her a quick head rush. She shook off the spell of lightheadedness and took the phone from Angela.

"Hello?" Her voice gave no evidence that she had been asleep just seconds ago. The adrenaline in her system was running fast, waiting for the news on her husband.

"_Is this Dr. Brennan?"_

"Yes."

"_Hi, I'm Dr. Graham. I performed your husband's surgery yesterday. He asked me that I call you myself and let you know that there were no complications. He has had an adverse reaction to the anesthesia but after a CT and a MRI, we haven't found any damage or any reason as to why he had this kind of reaction."_

"What do you mean? What kind of reaction?"

"_He is currently in a coma, Doctor."_

"So medically, there's no reason for him to be in a comatose state?"

"_Yes, ma'am. For all we know, he could wake up in an hour and nothing could happen. But we don't know that. There is still a lot we don't know about the human brain. The brain is a mysterious organ."_

"I'm quite confused. You operated on his feet and you put him in a coma. This should've been an easy surgery!" She was becoming frustrated now. There was no reason Booth should be in a coma. He should've been up and walking and talking, metaphorically speaking.

"_It was. We're not sure the problem, but Corporal Booth is stable. His surgery was a success and he can start his physical therapy in the states as soon as he gets home. But for now, I'd like to keep him here until he wakes up."_

"Well…can't you make him wake up?" She was desperate now. She wanted to talk to him again. She wanted to see him, wanted him to come home.

"_I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan. We just have to wait it out. He'll be home soon enough."_

"Thank you, doctor. Please alert me as soon as he wakes."

"_Of course, Dr. Brennan. Take care."_

Brennan hung up the phone and crawled out of bed. As she made her way down to the kitchen, she came to the realization that Booth would most likely not make it home in time for the birth of their son.

"Bren, please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry I didn't wake you up early like you asked. Jared really wanted you to sleep."

"You can blame it on me, sis," Jared leapt into the conversation. "You know Seeley would want you to sleep. You've been running on sugar and hormones lately."

Brennan gave him a small smile and walked to the fridge.

"Bren, what do you need? I'll get it for you," Jack offered. With the amount of people now crowding her house, she was starting to long for a time when just she, the baby and Booth would occupy it. She loved having her family there, but all the constant doting and worrying for her were beginning to wear on her nerves.

"I'm not sure, Jack. I'll know it when I see it."

"How's Booth?" Angela asked.

"He's not awake. The surgery was a success but he reacted poorly to the anesthesia that was administered during the procedure. I was told he was in a coma."

No one spoke for quite some time as they watched Brennan stare at the items in the fridge.

"Bren…" Angela spoke first.

"He's going to be fine from what I was told. The doctors there did not seem to have the highest quality of education. They do not know why he won't wake up. I want to move him here but Dr. Graham said he wants him to stay in Germany until he wakes but they don't know when that'll be."

"Temperance," Hank spoke softly. They could tell she was getting worked up and as the four other in the room watched Bren rummage through the refrigerator, she silent let a few tears fall.

She stood up from the fridge and began to pace around the kitchen, feeling the eyes of her family watching every step she took.

"Sis, maybe you should take a seat," Jared suggested, "Seel's gonna kill me if he finds out I didn't keep you off your feet while you're supposed to be on bed rest." Brennan ignored him.

"Temperance, I really think you should at least sit down," attempting to be the voice of reason, Hank went to her and stood in the path she had been pacing.

"I can't."

Angela snickered. "Bren, you need to sit or Booth's gonna kick _your _ass."

"No, I need to walk. I…it helps."

"It helps what?" Jack asked.

"My contractions. Walking helps the pain a little bit."

"You…you're in labor?" Angela shouted.

"Yes. Will you get my bag and drive me to the hospital?"


	64. A little blue bundle

_**July 4**__**th**_

_Only your son, Booth, would arrive on Independence Day,_ Brennan thought late that night as she stood at the window in her hospital room, staring out to see the fireworks erupt in the sky. She knew she should be sleeping, but she, even as tired as she was, just wanted to wait for Booth. The doctors in Germany still hadn't called and she knew that couldn't be good. It meant he wasn't awake yet.

She knew her always patriotic husband would love the fact that the baby decided today would be the day he came into the world. She wanted to call the hospital in Germany but when Angela had called while she was in labor, there were no updates to give her. Booth hadn't gotten worse, but he hadn't gotten better either.

Brennan had only wanted Angela in the room with her when the baby was born. Jack, Jared and Hank were more than fine with staying in the waiting room. After over twenty hours of painful labor and no drugs, he arrived and Brennan couldn't believe she had a son. He was finally here but, so far, without a father.

"Bren, sweetie, you need to be in bed. You need sleep," Angela said as she returned to the room.

"I'll be okay."

"Brennan, you've had a big day. A very long day. You hardly slept last night."

"Well I was in labor. Even the doctors didn't expect me to sleep."

"I still think you should sleep now. Sleep while the baby's in the newborn nursery so as soon as you take him home, you're not a zombie."

"I don't want to sleep. Have you heard from Booth's doctors?"

Angela shook her head. "I saw Jared down by the nursery. He said he was going to call over there to see if anything's changed."

"Dr. Brennan!" Dr. Francis greeted as she walked in, "I'm surprised to see you up and moving. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. When can we go home?"

Her doctor smiled at her and looked over to her bed. "Once you get some rest, you could probably go home tomorrow. You seem to be recovering quite quickly. The baby is doing well. I just checked on him. He's sleeping right now. Would you like to have him in here?"

Brennan nodded and she got back into her bed. "I'll have a nurse bring him in," she told her.

"Exactly how likely is it that I can go home tomorrow?"

"Very likely. You seem to be doing fine and your son is in perfect health."

Angela rolled her eyes as Brennan silently celebrated her short hospital stay. After Dr. Francis examined her, she called down to the nursery to have her son brought down to her room.

Minutes later, a nurse pushing a small bassinette appeared in the door way. She smiled at both women and asked Brennan if she wanted to hold him. Without a word, Brennan held out her arms, waiting to have the little sleeping bundle placed there. She stared down at her son, who seemed to not be fazed by the recent movement. Despite his pale skin, she already knew he was going to look like Booth. He had his father's bone structure, something she recognized instantly.

"Knock, knock," a voice came from her door way. Three of her favorite men were standing there. As Jared rushed to her side to look at his nephew, Jack went straight for Angela while Hank watched his great-grandson from a distance. The only person missing from this almost perfect day was Booth.

"Jared, did you call over to Booth's hospital?" Brennan asked her brother-in-law.

"Sorry, sis, there's nothing new."

"Jack?"

"What's up?"

"I have a question for you." Brennan waved him over and whispered something in his ear.

"How…you know about that?" Jack sputtered. She nodded.

"I need a favor."


	65. A family of their own

_**July 5**__**th**_

"Thank you."

"My pleasure, Dr. Brennan. Take care of the little one. I'll see you around," Dr. Francis said, taking Brennan's release papers for both her and the baby. He was already settled in his car seat. He was wide awake, watching his mom prepare to leave the hospital.

"Bren! Angela called from the door way, "You ready to go?"

She nodded and hoisted the car seat off the bed. "Grab my bag?"

Angela picked up Brennan's duffel bag and headed out of the hospital. Jack was sitting in the car, waiting for them right outside the front door.

"Hi girls! And boy," Hodgins added as they got into the car, "How ya feelin', Bren?"

"Tired. Did you get it?"

"Yeah, I got it. How did you figure it out?"

"What did she figure out?" Angela asked, feeling out of the loop.

"She figured out that I own Cantilever."

"How did you figure it out?" Angela now wanted to know.

"I know how to do research, Angela. It's not hard to put two and two together."

"Wait, what did you get for her?" Angela asked. Jack handed over an envelope and Angela pulled out a passport.

"You got the baby a passport?" Jack and Brennan both nodded. "How?"

"Pulled some strings," Jack answered simply.

"Wait, are you doing what I think you're doing?" Angela accused, turning around in the front seat to stare down her friend.

"Angela, I've told you this before. There is no way I can possibly know what you're thinking."

"You're not even going home first, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I've asked Jack to get my passport and to pack the baby and I a bag. You brought that too, correct?"

Jack looked in the rear view mirror and smiled at her. "Of course! There are plenty of diapers and wipes in there and enough outfits for the little man to last a while, though I'm not expecting you three to be there forever."

"You three?" Angela said, her voice rising, a result of fury from having these plans hidden from her.

"I'm taking my son to meet his father," Brennan said, matter-of-factly. Angela knew by the tone of her voice there was no way she was going to change Brennan's mind.

"Well, I'm coming too. You're going to need help."

"No, Ange. I'm sorry, but we're going alone. I can take care of him on my own."

"Sweetie, I don't know if this is such a good idea…"

"I've already booked our flight. I can handle this. And it'll only be a one way trip on my own. I'll have Booth's help when we come home."

Angela heaved a deep sigh, knowing Brennan was set in her ways. They were driving to the airport and Angela watched Bren shake a rattle for her son.

"Did you tell Jared and Hank?" Angela asked. Brennan nodded.

"It'll just be the four of you at the house for a while. I'll call you when I reach Booth's hospital to let you know I've arrived. Please, Angela, don't be mad. I'm okay, the baby's okay, and I just need to know that Booth's okay."

Angela smiled sympathetically. "I know, Bren, I'm sorry. We're all just worried about you."

"I'm not!" Jack said, "I know you can handle this."

"You're not helping, Jack," Angela mumbled.

"I'm okay," Brennan assured them, "Dr. Francis wouldn't have let us leave if I wasn't. Just don't worry about us. Like I told you, I'll call you when I get there."

They pulled up to the front of the bustling airport and Brennan started to get out of the car.

"Can I at least help you get your bag checked?" Angela begged.

Brennan smiled. "Yes, Angela. I know I haven't thanked you for helping me while Booth was gone. But thank you, Ange."

Angela hugged her. "Sweetie, you don't have to thank me. I promised Booth I'd help look out for you and the little one and I don't break my promises. Now, enough dawdling. Let's get him on the plane to see his daddy!"

* * *

_**July 6**__**th**_

It was past midnight when she reached Booth's hospital room.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but visiting hours are over. You'll have to come back in the morning," a nurse told her as she watched Brennan pull her sleeping son from his carrier.

"Susan…darling…she's okay. You can let her in." Brennan had a feeling this charm coming from someone who wasn't her husband could only be his best friend.

Teddy ushered the nurse away who gave him a slightly disapproving look. Brennan smiled at the soldier who she had seen before only in the picture Booth had sent.

"You're Bren."

"And you're Parker."

"You can call me Teddy." He was nursing a bandaged hand.

"You helped Booth survive." It wasn't a question and Teddy didn't correct her on the survival part, even though it was really the other way around to him.

"So, I'm guessing he didn't get home in time."

"Two days short. But we managed. I don't want him to feel bad that he missed it."

"He's going to give himself hell," Teddy told her.

"I know. How is he?"

"Still out. No change from what they've told me but I'm no medical expert. You can go in there, you know."

She nodded and walked in to his room. Looking between her son and her husband, she could now definitely see the resemblance. She looked Booth over and except for the bandaged feet, he looked fine. Already knowing her limitations, she looked to Teddy who was still standing in the doorway, not wanting to intrude.

"Do you want to hold him?"

Teddy looked shocked but nodded. As she moved her son into Teddy's arms, he fused a bit. She shushed him gently and quieted down. She watched Teddy hold the baby for a minute and then moved to the end of Booth's bed. She picked up his charts and looked over his x-rays. She had recognized instantly the kind of abuse he went through, the research she had done for her thesis proving to be a little more real than before.

She moved to his side and looked at his resting form. He seemed peaceful to her but she knew he was stressing. She wanted him to wake up so desperately.

"I…uh…I think he needs a change," Teddy spoke up, his face full of disgust.

She smiled at him and took him out of Teddy's arms. He was wide awake now and was still adjusting to the rather harsh light of the German hospital room.

"I'll be back. I'm going to use the changing table in the bathroom down the hall."

Teddy watched her walk away with the baby and he turned to Booth, who, of course was still motionless in his bed.

"You gotta wake up, man. She's worried about you. She looked at those films of your feet and I could tell…she knows what happened to you. Bren loves you, man. And she needs you to wake up. "

Teddy began pacing around the small hospital room and then moved out to the hallway for a bit more room to move.

Booth began to stir. As he opened his eyes, he felt alone. He saw his friend pass his door. Booth attempted to call out but his mouth and throat were dry. He stared out the window to his room, waiting for someone to realize he was awake. As he watched nurses and doctors walk by, he waited for Teddy to walk by again. His doctor was standing at the nurses' station just outside his room. Dr. Graham was jotting down something in another file and only looked up when he was approached.

Booth recognized her instantly. He could feel the tightness in his chest, the longing for her coming to an end. Her back was to him and she was swaying back and forth with a rhythm he didn't know she had. He heard a shrill wail pierce the air but she didn't respond like the doctor did. While he jumped back from her, she moved quickly into his room where he now noticed the open diaper bag. She stooped over, reaching into the bag for a pacifier and attempting not to jostle the baby any more than necessary.

"Don't wake up your father," she whispered, "He needs his sleep so he can come home and take care of you."

"Bren," Booth finally croaked out.

She whipped her head up and turned to look at him, her ears hardly believing he spoke. She wanted to run over to him and hold him, but the baby in her arms rooted her to her spot.

"Hi," she finally said.

"Is he hungry?" Booth asked, nodding to his son.

Brennan shook her head, keeping her eyes on Booth. "Shouldn't be. I just fed him."

He nodded once. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Are you going to come over here or am I going to have to get out of bed?"

She remembered how to move and walked over to him. She leaned down and kissed him once, gently.

"I missed that too."

She smiled at him.

"I guess I didn't make it home in time, did I?" his face fell as he spoke. It killed him, knowing he wasn't there when his son was born.

She shook her head again and looked at her crying son. "Fourth of July, seven forty-two in the evening."

Booth laughed once. "Fourth of July?" She smiled widely and nodded. She placed the pacifier in his mouth, which seemed to settle him for the time being. She looked between Booth and her son for a moment and then put the baby in her husband's arms. He seemed shocked for a moment before pulling him closer.

"Corporal, I'm glad you're awake! We were starting to get worried!" Dr. Graham said as he walked in. "Oh!" the doctor said, upon seeing Booth holding his child, "What's this little guy's name?"

"Andrew Parker Booth," Brennan announced.

There was a groan from the doorway. "Please do not tell me you named your kid after me," Parker said.

"Well, then we just won't tell you that," Booth said, smiling at his buddy.

"Does this mean I have to name my kid after you?"

* * *

**A/N: All done! I may do an epilogue of a welcome home scene with Angela, Jack, Hank and Jared but I am **_**for sure**_** writing a sequel but that won't appear right away. Not so long that you'll for get about this one, I just have to let my muse rest and my new power cord for my laptop arrive before my computer dies. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Drop me a line of your thoughts and ideas, please!**


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